Tennis no Ojousama: Haruno Sakura
by mesweet735
Summary: Haruno Sakura, a tennis prodigy moves from America to Japan and attends Seigaku. There, she meets the Seigaku Regulars and her childhood friend, Ryoma. She goes through her crazy life by meeting other players and entering tournaments. Sakura x Many.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey, um, I know what you're thinking... Ugh, another story but this certain story idea kept popping out of nowhere and I had to write it out before it consumes me! So, it's a crossover of the Prince of Tennis and Naruto. Let's just pretend Seigaku DOES have a tennis club for girls but no Female Regulars. And since I don't know what Ryoma's classroom number is, I made it up.**

**Enjoy!**

_Haruno Sakura; the Princess of Tennis arrives!_

A girl with cherry blossom pink hair and bright emerald green cat-like eyes was wondering around the ground of Seishun Gakuen; Seigaku for short.

The girl was very cute. Her pink haired stopped at her shoulders, she has a heart shaped face, cute bangs framing the sides of her face, snow white skin, a cute button nose and plump, pink lips. She was small, about 4'9". She also has a petite and curved body. Her cheeks were tinted pink and she has some baby fat that made her look even cuter.

She was wearing Seigaku Boys' Uniform, which was consisted with a black jacket with a white short sleeved dress shirt under it. She was also wearing black slacks and white sneakers.

The girl; Haruno Sakura was holding a map in one hand, a school bag in the other and a tennis bag that was securing three rackets in it, was slung over her left shoulder.

Her head turned to each direction every 10 seconds. She was a new student in Seigaku, having to move from America to Japan weeks ago. She had come early to school to check out the tennis club, tennis courts and the famous Seigaku Regulars.

She was truly awed by their skills when she heard about them. They had won many matches against so many skilled schools. With the map of Seigaku in her hand, she set out again to find the tennis courts once more.

After awhile, she got lost again. When she thought all hopes were lost, she saw three freshmen students talking to each other. One was short with black bowl cut hair and black eyes. He was the smallest among them. The second one was the tallest, he had half shaved head and black eyes. Between them was an obnoxious looking boy with brown hair. He was the only one wearing brown shorts and a green shirt. The other two was wearing the normal school sports uniform.

Sakura decided to ask them for directions. They noticed her and openly stared at her in disbelief. She was used to it; either they were curious about her hair color or they were curious with why she was wearing a boys' uniform. One of them; the brown haired boy opened his mouth to say something. Sakura, already know what kind of questions he was going to ask so she cut him off.

"Um… Yeah, I have pink hair- I didn't dye it though. My hair color is natural. I'm wearing a boys' uniform because, even though I'm a girl, I can't wear a skirt," Sakura said sheepishly.

The boys blinked and the brown haired boy pumped out his chest proudly. "Whatever. Who are you and what do you want? We're pretty busy right now," he said smugly.

Sakura twitched at his words but calmed herself from attacking to soon-to-be punched boy if he doesn't stop acting all high and mighty. "Ano, do you know where the tennis courts are? I really want to check out the tennis club, especially the Seigaku Regulars," Sakura said with excitement.

"What a coincidence! We're heading there too. I'm Kachirou and this is Katsuo, we're first years," the boy with the bowl cut hair said as he pointed to himself and his tall friend. "I'm Horio Satoshi, I have a 2 year experience in tennis and I'm an expert of it," the brown haired boy said proudly, sticking his nose up in the air.

Sakura and the other two freshmen sweat dropped at this. "I'm Haruno Sakura. I'm new here and I'm a first year too. Please to meet you," Sakura bowed.

She and the freshmen trio walked towards the tennis court, Sakura following them. "Ano, Sakura-chan, do you play tennis?" Kachirou asked as he noticed the tennis bag.

"Ah, I do actually. I moved here from America a couple of weeks ago and I heard about the Seigaku Tennis Team. I was awed when I heard about them and I got excited since the school of my choice was Seishun. But I don't know about the members. I heard the Regulars are simply amazing!" Sakura said as she clutched the strap of her tennis bag in excitement.

"Is that why you came early?" Katsuo asked as he smiled at the pink haired girl. Sakura only nodded cutely, a blush staining her cheeks. Not too soon, they reached the tennis courts where the juniors were having practice matches and the freshmen were swinging rackets.

There were no regular members in sight. Horio crossed his arms against his chest. "The regulars must be having a meeting again," he said as he looked at the courts.

"Oi, freshmen!" a deep voice was heard. They turned and saw junior, Arai Masashi walking towards them. "A-Arai- senpai!" the three freshmen yelled out in shock.

"Oh? What do we have here?" Arai asked when he spotted Sakura. Sakura stared back at him through her large emerald eyes.

"A-Ano, this is Haruno Sakura-chan. She's a new student. She said she wanted to check out the tennis courts and see the regulars so we brought her here," Katsuo and Kachirou explained.

"Eh? A girl? In a boys' uniform?" Ikeda Masaya, Arai's friend came up to them. "She told us she can't wear a girls' uniform so she had to wear a boys' instead," Horio said.

"Ano, nice to meet you senpai," Sakura said as she bowed.

"You want to meet the regulars, huh? Just to let you know, the regulars are amazing people. You can't beat them easily. You can't hold a candle to them. Heck, I don't think you can even beat the great Arai-sama!" Arai said proudly.

"Hmm? Is that so? Do you really think I can't beat you? Do you want to prove that? Because I think, you can't beat _me_ instead," Sakura mused as she dropped her tennis bag.

"Cocky, aren't you? Fine, but be prepared to lose and taste defeat!" Arai said as he grabbed his racket.

Sakura smirked as she rummaged her tennis bag. Horio, Katsuo and Kachirou saw three rackets in her bag. One was light blue, the other was red and the last one was black. Sakura pulled out the blue racket with a small smile. "This should do," she muttered to herself.

She got up from her kneeling position and walked into the court behind her, where Arai was already waiting for her arrival. Sakura stood at the other side of the court, opposite from Arai. She held her racket upside down and spun it. "Which?"She asked Arai.

"Smooth," Arai said and when the racket fell down and declared 'smooth', Arai grinned. Sakura stood at the baseline of her side and Arai did the same at his. 'I'll go easy on her,' Arai thought. He served the ball with a loud "Take this!"

Sakura returned the ball easily and it hit Arai's court. 'So, he's going easy on me, huh? That was a big mistake,' she thought. "Fifteen- Love!" Katsuo yelled out the score.

Arai served, still planning on going easy on her, but Sakura hit the ball with the flick of her wrist, earning 30 points now. The game continued and Sakura won the first game because Arai still went easy on her. Sakura was playing without effort and that made her slightly disappointed. She wanted to play seriously; she wanted to have fun!

"Arai-senpai, can you play seriously now? I know you're going easy on me!" Sakura said as she bounced the yellow tennis ball with her left hand.

"I'll go easy on you when you can beat me!" Arai said smugly.

Sakura stared at Arai sharply. "Che. Whatever," Sakura muttered under her breath. She threw the ball up in the air and did a small jump. She hit the ball and landed back onto her feet.

The ball landed on Arai's court and spun rapidly. After some seconds, it bounced towards Arai's face. The junior managed to dodge the oncoming ball by falling onto his bottom as he grunted in shock and slight pain.

"W-Wasn't that the Twist Serve?" Horio asked in shock. He couldn't believe the girl in the court just hit a Twist Serve.

Ikeda nodded, "Since she's a girl, that Twist Serve might be slower or even the same speed and power as Echizen's Twist Serve."

"No, that's not true," a soft spoken voice said from behind. They turned to see the 8 members of the regulars. Ryoma, who was the 9th member, was missing. "Eh, why do you say that, Fuji-senpai? Why did you say Sakura-chan's Twist Serve isn't the same or weaker than Ryoma-kun's?" Kachirou asked the Prodigy, Fuji Syuusuke.

"Take a closer look at her Twist Serve," Inui Sadaharu, the Data Specialist said and the boys obliged. They watched carefully as Sakura hit another Twist Serve. It traveled towards the opposite side of the court in a blink of an eye and bounced quickly after spinning on Arai's side in mere seconds.

"F-Fast!" Horio said loudly, amazed by the girl's ability.

"Em. Her Twist Serve is faster, stronger and sharper and probably has more spin in it. You can't return that easily. You need both luck _and _skills to return that," Oishi Shuichiro, Vice-captain of the tennis team and so-called Mother Hen of the tennis team itself, said. He and the other regulars did not take their eyes from the pink haired girl that was going against Arai without effort.

Sakura won each match easily; she wasn't even breaking a sweat!

_BRRIIIIINNNG!_ The school bell rang, effectively making Sakura stop. A ball came directly towards her face. When the ball was at arm's length from her, she hit it downwards with her racket. The ball spun on the ground and bounced back up the next second. Sakura effortlessly hit the ball straight to Arai's face, while she was in a daze.

The ball hit Arai in the face, making the boy fall on his back while twitching. Sakura, who snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Arai grunted, realized that she just hit a senpai's face. "Ah, I'm so sorry, Arai-senpai! I didn't mean to, I didn't notice! Are you okay, senpai?" Sakura asked.

Arai weakly gave her a thumbs up and his arm limply fell down again. Sakura hit her forehead inwardly and thought, 'I'm doomed.' She helped Arai stand, not noticing the red blush staining the older boy's cheek.

Sakura picked up her racket and store it in her tennis bag; not noticing the Seigaku regulars were there. "Sakura-chan, we were wondering, why do you have three different colored rackets?" Katsuo asked.

"Ah, about that. Well, each color represents my strength and my opponent. My blue racket is called my Light Racket or Warm up Racket. I use my Light racket when I warm up or when I'm fighting an opponent whom I acknowledge as a Warm up partner. They're the ones that I can beat easily. My red racket is my Practice Racket. I use it to practice tennis or to go against an opponent whom I acknowledge as a Practice partner. I can't beat them easily and I might have some difficulties when I fight them but they're still easy to beat. My black racket is my Match or Battle Racket. I only use it against strong opponents; opponents whom are nationally ranked, for example. I rarely use my black racket," Sakura explained.

The boys were astounded to say the least, even the regular members. "So, does that mean Arai is only a warm up to you?" Ikeda asked.

"No. To me, he can't even reach that level if he goes against me," Sakura said bluntly, making most of them fell onto the ground anime style. "Well, I better get going. Class is going to start soon! Bye!" Sakura said as she jogged towards the school building.

"She's interesting, ne?" Fuji asked. "Em! She's so cute, nya!" Kikumaru Eiji, the acrobat tennis player agreed. "Fshuu… She might be better than Mr. Porcupine over there," Kaidoh Kaoru, the Viper, hissed. "You want to rumble, Mamushi?" Momoshiro Takeshi yelled, angered by his teammate's words.

"C-Calm down, you guys," Kawamura Takashi said, trying to separate the two Regular juniors away from each other. "Here, Taka-san," Fuji said as he handed Kawamura his racket. Kawamura took it and turned into 'Burning' Taka-san. "ORAA! BURNING! CALM DOWN!" Kawamura yelled.

"Stop! Everyone, clean up and go to class. Where's Echizen?" Tezuka Kunimitsu, Captain of the Seigaku Tennis Team, asked. "Echizen was asked to help sensei with something so he can't come to practice," Horio answered.

Tezuka nodded in approval of the reason. "Okay, then. Thank you for your hard work everyone. We'll see each other during club activities this evening," Oishi said. "Yes!" They all chorused loudly.

Not too soon, Echizen Ryoma arrived to give his captain his late slip. "Ne, O-Chibi! There was a girl here that beat Arai in a match. She's a freshmen and she's so cute! She wasn't even sweating when she was playing! She has pink hair, nya!" Eiji said excitingly.

'Pink hair?' Ryoma thought. Somehow, it was familiar to him.

-Class 1-1-

It was the first period and the teacher was oddly late. Ryuuzaki Sakuno and Osakada Tomoka were talking to one another. The freshmen trio was talking about their new friend, Sakura. Ryoma, as usual was sleeping soundly.

The teacher came in with Sakura in tow. "Class, listen up. This is your new classmate, Haruno Sakura-san. Haruno-san, introduce yourself," the teacher said.

"Hello, I'm Haruno Sakura. I play tennis and I love helping other people. I really hate it when others try to hurt my friends. Please to meet you," Sakura said as she bowed a little.

"Thank you, Haruno-san. You can sit next to Echizen. He's the only boy sleeping in this class," the teacher pointed out. Sakura immediately spotted Ryoma who was sleeping by leaning his head on the palm of his hand.

Sakura giggled inwardly, 'My, my, he still looks cute when he's sleeping,' Sakura thought as she sat next to the sleeping boy. Sakura stared at Ryoma and smiled sweetly, 'He's going to be surprised and happy when he sees me.'

Classes went by smoothly as Ryoma kept sleeping through them. He only wakes up when the teachers want him to answer the questions they had written on the blackboard. But soon after he accomplished his tasks, he went back to his seat, only to fall asleep again.

Sakura laughed inwardly, knowing that the sleeping boy beside her still hasn't noticed her yet. The bell rang, signaling it was already Lunch. Ryoma, who was irritated by the bell's sounds, woke up, only to find the freshmen trio in front of him, grinning like maniacs. Ryoma reeled back in shock and sighed.

"What do you want?" the tennis prodigy asked lazily. "Ne, Ryoma-kun. We made a new friend and she's the new student in this class. Look to your right," Kachirou said. Ryoma obliged and then he felt his heart crying tears of joy.

There, sitting right beside him was a girl with pink hair, wearing a boys' uniform and waving at him with a smile. "S-Sakura?" Ryoma almost yelled out as he stood up in shock.

"Yo," Sakura said as she stuck her tongue out. "W-What are you doing here? When did you arrive here?" Ryoma asked; inwardly happy that his childhood friend was in front of him.

The whole class was quiet, watching Ryoma and Sakura exchanging words. "Ano… I moved here from America about a couple of weeks ago. I'm sorry for not telling you, but a month ago, I did send you a letter stating that I might move to Japan. Didn't you get it?" Sakura asked.

"No, I didn't," Ryoma answered truthfully as the image of his father appeared in his mind. 'That old man…' Ryoma thought, irritated by the fact that his father had gotten Sakura's letter for him and hid it.

"Well, it doesn't matter now. All that matters is that I'm right here, in front of you. I missed you so much," Sakura grinned. Ryoma gave her a small smile. 'I really missed you too, Sakura,' Ryoma thought. He grabbed Sakura by her elbow and dragged the girl out from the class room. "Let's go and eat lunch. The bell's going to ring soon," Ryoma stated.

Sakura only smiled and walked towards the canteen with her best friend by her side, talking about tennis and developing new moves.

The freshmen trio was shocked to say the least. It seems that Ryoma had known Sakura, and that fact confused them. When had Ryoma and Sakura met?

"Eh? Who was that girl with _my_ Ryoma-sama?" Tomoka approached the freshmen trio, angrily yelling at them. "That was Sakura-chan. She and Echizen seem to know each other pretty well. They might be close," Horio answered, half stuttering because of the ugly scowl Tomoka had imprinted on her face.

"Close to Ryoma-sama? No, I won't allow it! Let's go, Sakuno. We'll teach this girl a lesson!" Tomoka said angrily as she walked out from the class room with Sakuno in tow. Tomoka ignored Sakuno's plead not to hurt a new student as it was against the rules for a fight between students to occur.

The freshmen trio snapped out from their daze and chased after the angry brunette. "We've got to stop Osakada-san from hurting Sakura-chan!" Katsuo said as they tried to catch up with their demonic brunette class mate.

-The Canteen-

Ryoma and Sakura settled their trays filled with food onto the table and sat down, facing opposite of each other. "Itadakimasu," they both said and began to eat. They didn't notice the brunette from their class glaring at Sakura in jealousy, an auburn haired girl trying to stop her best friend and the freshmen trio that was trying to pull the brunette away from their table.

Tomoka approached the table while emitting a dark aura. Ryoma noticed this and narrowed his gold cat like eyes. He went behind Sakura's chair and glared at the brunette. Tomoka stopped in her tracks when she saw Ryoma's 4'9" figure protect the pink haired girl.

'W-Why is Ryoma-sama protecting that girl? He's supposed to protect _me_ when I'm in trouble,' Tomoka whined inwardly. Sakura and the freshmen trio noticed Ryoma too and sighed in relief. No way would Tomoka go and try to kill their new class mate if Ryoma was protecting her.

Ryoma glared at Tomoka while Sakura stared at him in confusion. Sakura peeked through Ryoma's shoulder and saw 5 kids from her class. One was a brunette that was torn between whining and screaming at someone. The other was an auburn haired girl that was trying to calm down her friend. And the other three were Katsuo, Kachirou and Horio trying to stop the brunette from rampaging.

Sakura sweat dropped at the scene and sighed. She tugged Ryoma's shirt and silently plead the boy to sit down and eat with her. Ryoma glanced at Sakura and obliged. He sat down back and continued to eat.

They ate in silence, with the freshmen trio, Sakuno and Tomoka (reluctantly) joined them. Then, Kachirou, who was curious about Ryoma's relationship with Sakura, stroked up a question. "Ne, Sakura-chan, Ryoma-kun, have you two met each other before? You both seem pretty close with each other," Kachirou asked after taking a bite of his tempura.

Sakura nodded while Ryoma kept eating. "We're childhood friends. Our fathers were best friends before we were born and we've been friends since we were in diapers," Sakura answered with a slight laugh. "No wonder you two are so close," Katsuo said with a smile.

The bell rang for the next classes to continue. Sakura and Ryoma continued their journey towards their class, happily talking to one another. Ryoma ignored the glare Tomoka sent to Sakura while the pink haired girl was oblivious to it.

Sakuno and the freshmen trio immediately took a liking towards Sakura, not caring if Tomoka was against it. As long as Sakura was nice to them; which she will continue doing, they would be nice to her in return. Classes went by smoothly and Ryoma had volunteered to show Sakura around the school.

As the freshmen trio got ready for their club activities in the club room, the regulars came up to them. "Ne, did you see Echizen?" Momo asked the trio. "Ah, Echizen's busy showing the new student in our class around the school. He volunteered to show her around," Horio answered as he tightened the knot of his tennis shoes.

"O-Chibi volunteered to show a new girl around? Is she cute, nya?" Eiji asked, excitingly. "Ah, the new girl is actually Sakura-chan, the one that beat Arai-senpai," Katsuo said with a sheepish grin.

Arain flinched and his shoulders slumped. The words 'Beaten by a Girl' was plastered on his forehead. Momo and Eiji stifled their laughter while Oishi and Kawamura gave sheepish grins at the sulking junior.

"Saa… I wonder if both of them could get along with each other," Fuji said. "Actually, we just found out they are childhood friends," Kachirou answered as he carried a basket filled with tennis balls towards the courts.

This little fact had perked everyone's attention. "You're kidding? O-chibi and that girl are childhood friends?" Eiji said, surprised.

"Best friends, in fact," Horio said. "Uwa, now I really want to get to know her! To be that close to Echizen, I wonder what she's like," Momo said as he crossed his arms behind his head. All the other regulars nodded except for Tezuka, Inui and Kaidoh.

"And this is the tennis courts; our last stop," Ryoma said as he and Sakura stood in front of the club house. The tennis club members stared at them and instantly recognized the girl beside Ryoma.

Sakura had finally noticed the regulars and stared at them in awe. "Those boys in the blue and white jerseys… are they the regulars?" Sakura asked Ryoma. Before the young prodigy could answer, they were both dragged into the courts where the tennis members were assembling.

"You got that right. We're the regulars. O-chibi's one of us too!" Eiji said as he pointed to the other regulars, himself and Ryoma. Sakura looked at Ryoma in mild surprise. "You're a regular too? Why didn't you tell me?" Sakura asked excitingly.

"I-I wanted to surprise you…" Ryoma muttered under his breath but it was still audible. Sakura smiled sweetly as her friend and hugged him, "Aw, you're so sweet Ryoma-kun!" Sakura said. Ryoma's face was already red and he earned a snicker from Momo, Eiji and Kaidoh.

They in return, got a ball each smacked onto their faces, courtesy of Ryoma. Sakura treated the three fallen senpais while Ryoma acted like nothing had happened. "Ryoma-kun, you'd know better not to hit your senpais in the face with a tennis ball!" Sakura lightly scolded her best friend.

Ryoma waved it off with a smirk. "It's okay. It's already time for introductions. I'm Momoshiro Takeshi, second year student. Call me Momo-chan. I play power tennis and I'm closest to Echizen out of all the regulars," Momo grinned happily at Sakura.

"I'm Kikumaru Eiji, third year, nya! I'm an acrobatic tennis player and I play doubles with the Vice-captain of the team, Oishi, nya!" Eiji said as he hugged Sakura.

"Kaidoh Kaoru, second year. I'm in the same class as that Momo-baka. Please to meet you, fshuu," Kaidoh hissed slightly. He was slightly (totally) relieved that the girl in front of him did not label him as a freak and she wasn't afraid of him. Yet, she smiled at him. He felt content. "Before I forget, Kaidoh here is nicknamed Mamushi (Viper)," Momo grinned and glared at Kaidoh.

"I'm Oishi Shuichiro, third year. I play doubles with Eiji and I'm the Vice- Captain of the tennis club," Oishi said as he smiled at Sakura. "Do I have to call you Oishi fuku-buchou?" Sakura asked. "No, Oishi-senpai is enough," Oishi answered. Sakura nodded cutely, earning a smile from the Vice-Captain in front of her.

"I'm Fuji Syuusuke, third year. Saa… Please to meet you, Sakura-chan," Fuji said as he smiled at Sakura. Sakura smiled back. "By the way, Sakura-chan. Fujiko here is nicknamed 'Prodigy'," Eiji grinned. 'Fujiko?' Sakura thought.

Fuji noticed the curious look on Sakura's face at the nickname Eiji had given him. "Eiji usually makes up nicknames for most of the regulars. He nicknamed me Fujiko, just like he nicknamed Echizen, 'O-Chibi'," Fuji explained. Sakura nodded, as she understood Fuji's words.

"Ano… I'm Kawamura Takashi, third year. I play power tennis like Momo," Kawamura said with a sheepish smile. "Here, Taka-san," Momo said as he handed Kawamura his racket. Kawamura gripped it and it seem like he was burning. "ORAA! BURNING! PLEASE TO MEET YOU, BABY!" Kawamura yelled loudly and turned back to slightly shy and very nice Kawamura when Inui took away the racket.

Sakura only smiled at him, not minding the immediate mood change when he held his racket but did send a curious glance at Oishi and Fuji. "Ano, Taka-san turns into 'Burning' Taka-san when he holds his racket," Oishi explained. Sakura only nodded.

"Inui Sadaharu, third year. I play Data Tennis and I collect Data of the regulars and their opponents," Inui said as he scribbled in some notes. "100% states that you are writing about me. Name: Haruno Sakura, the childhood friend of Echizen Ryoma. Has beaten Arai in a one set match. There is other information about me such as my height and skills right?" Sakura smiled.

The regulars stared at her in awe; how in the world did she know Inui was writing about her? "C-Correct," Inui said. Sakura only smiled at him.

"Tezuka Kunimitsu, third year, the Captain of the tennis club," Tezuka said. Sakura smiled and bowed, "Please to meet you, Tezuka-buchou!"

Tezuka smiled inwardly and patted her head fondly, earning a sweet smile from the adorable pink haired girl. "Personally, I think we're going to be best friends, Sakura-chan," Oishi said while the others nodded.

"Oh? Sakura, you're already here," Ryuuzaki Sumire stepped into the court. "Ah, Ryuuzaki-sensei. Please to meet you again," Sakura smiled at the elder woman. "Eh? Ryuuzaki-sensei, you know Sakura-chan too?" Eiji asked. Ryuuzaki nodded and said, "Her father and Ryoma's were the best of friends, so it was natural that I know her through Ryoma's father."

"What brings you here, Ryuuzaki-sensei? I thought the teachers have a meeting in about half an hour," Tezuka said. "Ah, it's about Sakura. Sakura, the principal would let you be the first female regular in Seigaku but you have to defeat one of the male regulars," Ryuuzaki said as she handed Sakura a club slip.

"What do I get if I really do become the first female tennis regular of Seigaku?" Sakura asked as she looked up at the coach. "Ah, yes, a very good question. You won't be with the girls' tennis team. You'd be positioned in the boys' instead. You have to train, practice and enter tournaments with the boys," Ryuuzaki explained, already knowing what Sakura's answer would be.

"So, who's my opponent?" Sakura asked excitingly. Ryuuzaki laughed and scanned the boys. It was sure Ryoma would lose to Sakura; heck, Ryoma always lost to her when they both went against each other. Though Ryoma didn't show it (yeah, right), but he respected the girl and always listens to her advices to improve. Ryoma even told his father once that he was content; he was happy, when he lost to Sakura every time.

"Momo, warm up and get in court A. You're going against Sakura!" Ryuuzaki yelled. Momo was shocked and pointed himself in question. When all the regulars nodded in confirmation, he sighed and went away to warm up.

Sakura changed into her usual tennis clothes in the club house while Ryuuzaki and Ryoma made sure no one entered it. Sakura came out wearing a pair of black shorts, a pair of black and white tennis shoes, a blue and white tennis jersey and she was holding her red racket.

"Using your red racket already? And is it true that you beat Arai-senpai with your blue racket?" Ryoma asked. Sakura nodded slightly, and Ryoma smirked, "Arai-senpai is still Mada Mada Dane." Sakura only laughed.

She jogged to court A where Momo was already waiting for her. Momo was torn between going easy on her and going full out. It was his serve and Sakura was waiting for him.

"Momo-senpai! Don't go easy on me!" Sakura said as she waved to Momo. Momo on the other hand, only smirked. If she wants him to go full out, then he will. Momo threw the ball in the air and hit it with a slight jump. "Ah, Momo-chan-senpai's Bullet Serve!" the freshmen trio yelled together.

Sakura returned it with ease but Momo hit it back and gained a point. "15-Love!" Oishi yelled, being the referee for the game. "Che," Sakura muttered, "I didn't know I had to use my dominant hand to go against you, Momo-senpai." Sakura then switched to her left hand and the others were shocked.

"She's using her left hand?" Horio said, as he gripped the metal fence from outside. "She's a natural lefty. Like Echizen, she uses her right hand before a match and after that, uses her dominant hand- which is her left hand, if the opponent is strong," Ryuuzaki explained.

'Huh, a lefty; like Echizen, eh? This is going to be fun,' Momo grinned inwardly. They continued to play, while others continued to watch. Momo used his Jack Knife and Dunk Smash only once in the first game.

Momo won the said first game, slightly panting, while Sakura on the other hand, hadn't broken a sweat. They rallied until Sakura did a copy of Momo's move, the Jack Knife. Momo tried to return it, but the ball felt heavy, effectively making Momo's racket flew out from his hand.

"Ah, she copied Momo-chan-senpai's Jack Knife!" Horio yelled. 'And she only saw it once,' the regulars thought. Throughout the game, Sakura had used Momo's move such as the Dunk Smash, Bullet Serve and the Jack Knife, as her own.

In the end, Sakura had won and she had used the Higuma Otoshi to counter most of Momo's Dunks. "Game and Match, Haruno Sakura, Six games to one!" Oishi yelled.

"Thank you, Momo-senpai, for playing against me," Sakura bowed. "Heh, next time I'll make sure I'll win. By the way, where did you learn the Higuma Otoshi?" Momo asked. "Huh? Oh, while I was scouting for a school to attend to, I got lost near St Rudolph. The tennis team there was watching a video on their opponents' skills. I just happen to see one of the videos where Fuji-senpai was doing that technique," Sakura answered.

"St Rudolph? Mizuki-san must be the one who forced the others to watch those videos. He has a grudge against Fuji-senpai because he lost to senpai once," Kaidoh said. Sakura snickered at the fact.

"Well, it doesn't matter if I lost to you. I still got a game from you," Momo grinned playfully. "Actually Momo, Sakura dropped the game on purpose. I'll let Echizen explain why," Ryuuzaki said as she walked off.

Echizen sighed as the tennis members stared at him, expecting the answer they wanted to hear. "Sakura purposely dropped a game to read Momo-senpai's stamina, speed, reflexes, strength and skills. Other than that, she knew Momo-senpai would go all out during the first game so she knew that she can read him that time. Like some people, she can copy her opponent's moves with just one look. But Sakura's way of copying others is different. When she sees the opponent performing their special moves, she can immediately see the weak spots of that move. She then copies that move but she will kill most of the weak spots, leaving one or two behind. Those remaining weak spots are the hardest to find, therefore, making the move hard to counter. In addition, the move becomes stronger about 20% to 50%. There are some moves that increased about 90% after Sakura had copied them. And unlike others who seems to forget the moves they copied before, Sakura would use the moves she copies against other opponents," Ryoma explained, pausing a bit during his explanation.

"A-Amazing. Sakura-chan, you're so amazing, nya!" Eiji said as he clutched Sakura's hands in his. Fuji felt a bit jealous of his friend since he wanted to feel Sakura's small and bony (in a cute way) fingers.

"Welcome to the Seigaku Tennis Club, Sakura," Ryuuzaki smiled. Then, out of nowhere, she was hugged by both Momo and Kikumaru. "Yatta! Congratulations, Saku-chan, nya! You're going to be with us!" Eiji yelled out happily.

"We got another baby in the team," Momo laughed. Sakura laughed along, earning smiles from Kawamura, Oishi and Fuji, thumbs up and a small smile from Kaidoh and Inui, a pat on the head from Tezuka and a playful hair ruffle from Ryoma.

She laughed when she heard Momo saying they were going to celebrate at Kawamura's Sushi. Sakura smiled as she looked at the tennis club she had joined and befriended.

_Okaa-san, Otou-san, I already found the tennis team I've been searching for._

_I think they are the ones- no, I know they are the ones I'll be happy with. _

_I hope you're happy for me right now, wherever you are right now, knowing that your daughter has finally found the tennis family she's been looking for. _

_Wish me luck._

_Love, Sakura._

**Yeah, this is it, then. Prince of Tennis is my newest obsession and I have fallen in love with the boys! (sighs dreamily) Especially Fuji Syuusuke! He's so cute! And Ryoma too! Well, hope you enjoy this chapter! I might update this story in two weeks or maybe even longer, considering my exams are coming up. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Well, I updated it and in time too. My exams just started yesterday and since today's exam doesn't need studying, I decided to update today. Hope you'll all enjoy it!**

_Training and Meeting the Fudomine boys._

Haruno Sakura was hitting her tennis ball continuously as it bounced back to her when it hit the wall that was about three feet away from her.

She was wearing her Seigaku Regular Uniform. It was the same as the boys with its short sleeves; the color was blue and white with the word 'Seigaku' imprinted on the back with capital letter. Sakura was ecstatic when she had gotten her shirt, along with the jacket. Her senpais, Eiji and Momo had joked getting a large shirt rather than a small one, commenting that if she swam in a large shirt, she would look cute.

At first, her senpais had thought of getting her a girls' uniform but after finding out she loathed girls' uniform, they had chosen to buy a boys' uniform; the same size as Ryoma's.

Sakura was reminded of the night when they celebrated her entry as a fellow regular.

_-Flashback-_

_Sakura watched in mild amusement as the boys chatter away and ate the sushi that was kindly provided by Kawamura-senpai and his kind-hearted father. As she chewed her portion of the sushi at her table, she saw Kikumaru-senpai and Momo-senpai fought for the last piece of sushi at the table in front of her. _

_Ryoma had taken the liberty of falling asleep with his head resting on her lap while her left hand smoothed out his hair and scratched his scalp, much like treating a cat. A very cute, big and slightly arrogant cat; she added mentally._

_Kikumaru spotted her and Ryoma and pouted, forgetting about the sushi he was fighting with Momo earlier. "Mou, Saku-chan, nya! I want to be treated like O-chibi!" Kikumaru wailed. Momo, whom had eaten the last sushi at his table pouted too when he saw Ryoma being treated like a cat._

"_Sorry, Kikumaru-senpai, but Ryoma did this so suddenly so by instinct I return it with my actions. We've done this a million of times, so I'm familiar with him and his actions," Sakura smiled as she watched Fuji-senpai enjoying his wasabi sushi. Maybe Ryoma was right, Fuji-senpai might be sadistic. No one could withstand that much of wasabi sushi. And on the way to Kawamura's Sushi, Momo-senpai had told her that once he asked Fuji-senpai why he was running with them when he can lose and enjoy Inui-senpai's Inui Juice that he loved so much. Sakura was amused and freaked out a bit when Momo-senpai said that Fuji-senpai answered his question by saying, "I enjoy watching people suffer even more."_

_She told herself maybe it isn't true at all since he doesn't act sadistic around her. "ORAA! BURNING! EVERYONE, PLEASE ENJOY THE FOOD!" Kawamura yelled with one hand holding a racket. "Fuji, did you give Taka-san his racket?" Oishi said as he turned to the prodigy. "Saa… Maybe," Fuji smiled in return._

_Sakura smiled as she took the racket away from Kawamura's grip. He turned back to his normal, shy self and blushed when he saw Sakura smiling at him. "You look so cute, Kawamura-senpai!" Sakura giggled, effectively making Kawamura's blush intensified but it went unnoticed by the pink haired girl._

"_What did you say, bastard?" Kaidoh yelled as he held Momo by his collar. "You heard me, Mamushi! You're not supposed to eat that type of sushi with soy sauce. You eat it with wasabi!" Momo replied. "They're fighting over _that_? Really, they are truly idiots," Ryoma mumbled but Sakura heard him. 'When did he wake up?' Sakura thought. _

_Then, they all saw Inui grin and pulled out a thermos. They watched in mild curiosity and mild fear, except for Fuji and Tezuka. "It's my newest creation, Inui's Hyper Remix Deluxe Protein Juice," Inui said as he poured some of the thermos contents into a clear glass._

_The drink was dark purple, thick and started to bubble in a very sick and scary way. The regulars and the other members gulped in fear, even Sakura. Fuji was amused and he seemed to be enjoying the show that was unfolding before his eyes. Tezuka continued eating but unnoticeably twitched when he saw Inui's creation._

"_Now, who would like to taste first?" he asked everyone. Sakura and Ryoma; whom had sat up due to the horrible smell Inui's Juice was emitting; slowly backed away from the Data specialist. The others already ran up upstairs to be away from the Data specialist._

_Sakura and Ryoma sighed in relief when Inui didn't notice them and chose to hunt for the people that ran upstairs. They then saw Fuji poured himself a glass and drank it with an excited smile. "Ah, that was delicious! I recommend it! Tezuka, would you like some?" he asked Tezuka after he finished his drink. _

"_No, thank you," Tezuka immediately reply and Fuji turned towards his two kouhais. Sakura looked especially cute when she stared at him with her big emerald eyes. "Would you two like some?" he asked. "N-No. But thank you for the offer, Fuji-senpai. We're not in the mood for Inui-senpai's drink," Sakura answered._

"_Well, more for me," Fuji said happily. Then they heard screaming coming from upstairs and saw every single tennis members, including the regulars that had taken shelter away from Inui upstairs, rolled down the stairs, making a pile of fainted and groaning people. They all looked pale, and a line of purple flowed from their mouths, indicated that Inui forced his drink down their throats._

_Sakura and Ryoma flinched visibly when Inui spotted them. Fuji enjoyed his drink, Tezuka won't drink any and if he threatens the captain to drink it, he's forced to run 100 laps around the school. So, Inui's only option is to let his kouhais taste them. He inwardly apologized to Sakura for his sadistic tendencies and pushed two glasses of his drink into their hands, each._

_Sakura gulped as she stared at her drink while Ryoma had thrown his out the window without Inui noticing. Sakura bowed her head at Inui and said, "Forgive me and my actions, Inui-senpai. But…" Sakura pushed her glass towards Inui and the contents of her glass accidentally entered Inui's mouth._

_Inui screamed out, "MISTAKE!" and fell down on the floor, unconscious. "Oh my- I killed Inui-senpai!" Sakura said. Ryoma only snickered at Inui and the others' unfortunate circumstances. "It's okay. He's just unconscious," Tezuka said to Sakura as he stared at Inui's limp body._

"_Saa… This night turned more and more interesting," Fuji laughed with a slight sadistic tone only Tezuka could detect. Tezuka, on the other hand, stared at his friend. _

_-End of flashback- _

As Sakura practiced and giggled at the memory, she didn't notice her childhood friend, Echizen Ryoma coming up to her with a grape ponta in one hand and a cherry ponta in the other. He pushed the tin can that was filled with cherry flavored drink against Sakura's cheek, earning a small yelp from the pink haired girl.

"Cold!" Sakura muttered under her breath. She turned to see Ryoma smirking and was given the tin can Ryoma had used to assault her earlier. "Thanks," she mumbled as she smiled at the boy in front of her.

They chose to sit under a shady tree, feeling the breeze and enjoying the sun. Sakura gulped down her ponta while Ryoma took small sips. "Ah, that hit the spot!" Sakura exclaimed happily, after finishing almost half of the drink.

Ryoma smiled underneath his cap that hid his face from anyone's view. Sakura had been with them for a week and it already felt as if she was here in Seigaku for a year. She belonged here in Seigaku, with him, with the team, with everyone.

Many people were happy Sakura transferred into Seigaku, especially the Seigaku Regulars. Sakura was also happy that she chose to go to Seishun and meet the team and Ryoma. She prayed she will always be this happy until the end.

"Saku-chan! O-chibi! Hurry up, nya! Tezuka already started the training, nya!" Kikumaru Eiji yelled from a distance, disrupting Sakura's and Ryoma's thoughts. "I'm leaving without you!" Eiji laughed as he ran away. Sakura and Ryoma scrambled onto their feet.

"Wait up, Kikumaru-senpai!" Sakura yelled as she and Ryoma tried to catch up with the red headed senior.

Eiji smiled to himself as he jogged away, as he stared at the pink haired girl who was still trying to catch up to him. He and the rest of the team loved Sakura; more than a friend or a sister. They had fallen head over heels for the girl but kept it a secret. She was too nice and cute for her own good!

She always helps them, she occasionally cooks bentos for them, she treated them when they were injured, and she's sweet, kind, nurturing, humble, caring and many more! They all cared for the girl and they will love her, even if she doesn't know it. They didn't want others to take her away; it would be the end of the world for them.

They were surprised when Ryoma had told them she was oblivious and innocent in the romance departure. They were certainly fortunate, since Sakura wouldn't know how to flirt with boys if she keeps staying innocent. And as a bonus, her curiousness made her cuter.

"Hey, we're here, nya!" Eiji said as he neared his fellow team members with a grin plastered on his face. Sakura pounced on Eiji's back as soon as she neared him. "Baka, Kikumaru-senpai! You left us!" Sakura said as she pouted. "Sorry," Eiji said as he grinned sheepishly.

Sakura hopped off from his back and joined the circle the regulars were making with Ryoma in tow.

"Okay, since we're all here, Ryuuzaki-sensei had set us up in pairs. We have to go against the partner we're given. I'll read the arrangements," Oishi said as he waved a paper in his hand slightly and started to read it out loud.

"The first pair to go first is Echizen and Sakura-chan. Second, Eiji, you're going against Momo. The next match will be between Fuji and Taka-san. Fourth, Kaidoh, you're with me and lastly, Inui and Tezuka. Got it?" he asked as he folded the paper.

"Yes!" the others yelled, except for Tezuka, Inui, Kaidoh and Ryoma. "Echizen, Sakura, get in the court," Tezuka ordered as he watched the two freshmen regular grabbed their rackets. "Hai!" Sakura smiled at her captain while Ryoma just tilted his cap a bit to indicate he heard the orders.

They both walked into the courts and got into position. It was Ryoma's serve and he decided to serve Sakura a Twist Serve. He did a small jump after he had thrown the ball into the air and hit it.

Sakura bended backwards, her back arched as she avoided the oncoming ball. She hit the ball once it reached above her neck, by kneeling down and raised her left arm to hit the yellow ball with her racket.

Ryoma returned her attack only to see Sakura using the Jack Knife that Momo had shown her during her first day at Seigaku. He tried to return it but unfortunately, it was too strong and Ryoma's racket flew out of his hands. "Mada Mada Dane, Ryo-kun!" Sakura yelled out to the boy opposite from her.

"Che," Ryoma playfully glared at the girl opposite from him. Sakura only smiled when she saw her friend glaring at her playfully. They both continued their little practice training with neither of them losing a point.

The others watched in amazement but they already know who the winner would be. Ryoma had also told them that he could never win against Sakura. Not even one. Though, he did mention that he was happy that Sakura always defeated him. Somehow, she only improved him and at the same time, going against her felt nothing but ecstatic to him.

They had to agree with him, they also went against Sakura, and they also felt very satisfied and got addicted to the feeling when Sakura went against them. Even Tezuka wanted to go against Sakura again though they were always interrupted by others or by the fact that sometimes the day got later and they were force to put an end to their matches.

Once they did played each other in a practice match and the scores ended up in a 6-6. Ryuuzaki-sensei said if any of them reached a tie by 6-6, there won't be any tiebreakers. So, they never knew who was stronger.

"Oh, you all seem pretty focused. It must be an amazing match all of you are watching," a deep voice said. The unoccupied regulars turned to see Tachibana Kippei with his team and younger sister. "Ah, Tachibana-san! Fudomine! Tachibana's imouto!" Momo grinned when he saw them.

"I thought I told you to stop calling me that!" Tachibana Ann scolded, earning a sheepish grin from Momo. "What are you all doing here?" Oishi asked politely.

"We wanted to visit you all and watch your practice. And maybe gather some tips for improving," Kamio Akira said with a small smile. "Ah, improving? Why wasn't I told about that? Or maybe it's too obvious that they didn't tell me. But still, maybe they should have told me. And why did they choose Seigaku? Maybe it's because we lost to them. How pathetic," Ibu Shinji started to mumble to himself.

The Fudomine boys sweat dropped at their friend's behavior. Tachibana shook his head and turned to the Seigaku team members once more. "Sorry if we're interrupting," he said sincerely. "No, it's okay. You're welcome to watch," Tezuka said as the Seigaku Captain himself turned to the court where both Sakura and Ryoma still played their match.

Sakura was in the lead by 4-3 and it seemed that Sakura was having fun. "Oh? Who's the girl?" Ishida Tetsu asked as he and his doubles partner, Sakurai Masaya watched the game between the two freshmen regulars.

"That's Sakura-chan. She's the new member of our team. The first female regular in Seigaku," Kawamura said as he watched Ryoma tied the match by 4-4. "Oh? Is she strong?" Mori Tatsunori asked with his friend, Uchimura Kyousuke right beside him.

"Echizen can't even beat her and Momo lost to her," Inui said calculatingly, as he collected some juicy data. "That's… pretty strong," Sakurai said as he watched the two freshmen play with mild interest.

They saw Sakura who was standing behind the net on the right side, traveled to the baseline at the left side in a second. "She's so fast!" Uchimura said; surprised. "She's faster than Kamio," Tachibana complimented.

The match ended with Sakura wining by 6-4. She knocked her head against Ryoma's when they were side by side and laughed when Ryoma did the same afterwards. They both soon spotted the visitors from afar and Ryoma muttered underneath his breath, "Fudomine."

"Fudomine?" Sakura questioned. When they neared their senpais, Sakura was tackled to the ground by a certain cat-like senpai by the name Kikumaru Eiji. "Kikumaru… senpai… I can't… Breathe!" Sakura choked out.

"Ah! Eiji, get off of Sakura-chan!" Oishi said as he pulled his doubles partner off from the girl. "Ah, sorry, Saku-chan, nya! But you were great out there!" Kikumaru grinned. Sakura only smiled back to him.

"Sakura-chan, we want you to meet our friends. They're from Fudomine and we went against them once," Kawamura said.

"I'm Tachibana Kippei, the Captain. This is Kamio Akira; the vice-captain, Ibu Shinji, Ishida Tetsu, Sakurai Masaya, Mori Tetsunori and Uchimura Kyousuke. Oh, and this is my younger sister, Ann," Tachibana said as he pointed to himself, his teammates and his sister, respectively.

"Please to meet you all!" Sakura said as she bowed. "Hi! We're pleased to meet you too, Sakura-chan!" Ann said. "Ah, thank you, Tachibana-san," Sakura bowed again. "Ann is fine. Tachibana-san seems too long and if you call me that, what are you going to call my brother?" Ann asked.

"I'll just call him Tachibana-senpai," Sakura answered truthfully. "Sakura has this habit of calling older students senpai, even if they're from other schools," Oishi explained.

"So, she'll call students the same age as her by their family name, but with a '-san' instead?" Kamio asked. The Seigaku regulars nodded. "Besides, Tachibana-san is a second year, right?" Sakura asked, her head tilted to the left a bit. "That's correct," Ann said, "But just call me Ann-chan!"

"So, who's next?" Tachibana asked. "Momo and I are next," Eiji grinned as he and Momo entered the courts. "Eiji-senpai, let's make a deal. The one who loses has to buy burgers for the whole team!" Momo grinned as he walked towards his side of the court. "You're on, Momo! Get ready to lose!" Eiji yelled as he jumped into his side.

They started the match with a serve from Momo. They both played with each other well, Momo with his power tennis and Eiji with his acrobatic tennis. They both played intensely, not missing any points.

Katsuo ran towards the court where Momo and Eiji were playing. "Ah! I forgot the balls!" he said when he noticed a basket filled with yellow fuzzy balls in the court where Momo and Eiji were occupying.

"Oh? I can get it for you if you'd like," Tachibana offered. "Are you sure? Katsuo-kun won't enter because Momo and Eiji are playing right now. Maybe you should wait until they finish playing," Oishi said, and then he turned to Katsuo. "Where did you get that basket of balls from? The clubhouse, or the store room?" he asked as he pointed to the subject; the basket filled with tennis balls.

"Ah, I got it from the store room. Ryuuzaki-sensei told me to return that since she's going to lock the store room early today," Katsuo explained.

"Then, that's enough reason to get that basket back," Tachibana said as he walked towards the metal door. "Are you sure, nii-san? You might get hurt," Ann said. "No worries. What could possibly go wrong?" he asked as he entered the court.

'A lot of things,' the other Fudomine boys thought. Tachibana walked over to the basket and when he tried to reach for it, his right ankle was attacked by a tennis ball.

Momo had accidentally hit the ball too hard, causing the ball to bounce out from the court and hit Tachibana's ankle. Tachibana on the other hand, grunted in pain as he slid on to the ground in a sitting position and clutched his swollen ankle.

Cries of 'Tachibana-san', 'Tachibana' and 'nii-san' were heard. Sakura rushed over to the injured senior along with the others. "Oishi-senpai, could you get some ice, please?" Sakura asked as she opened her first aid kit. Oishi only nodded and rushed away.

"Tachibana-senpai, please take off your shoe and sock. I'm going to treat your ankle," Sakura said as she took out some bandages and ointment. Tachibana obliged and winced as he took off the items he was asked to remove.

His right ankle was swollen badly. It was red with a tint of purple and blue. Sakura gently grabbed his ankle and foot then tilted his foot a bit towards the left, earning a hiss of pain from the elder boy in front of her.

Sakura gently pressed her fingers against the swollen ankle and motioned her fingers to make circular patterns against the injured ankle. "The bones are not harmed, but the nerves are slightly tangled and at the same time, the muscles contracted a bit too much, thus effectively worsens the pain. You need to relax and since Oishi-senpai is coming back with some ice, that should make the muscles cool down. Then, after the muscles stop contracting, I can start to untangle the nerves. You might feel a bit pain when I do that, so try to find something you can hold on to," Sakura said.

Oishi came back just in time with a bag of ice, that Sakura had taken with a small 'thank you'. Sakura placed the bag of ice on to the swollen ankle and Tachibana relaxed visibly. Once the muscles stopped contracting, Sakura pressed her fingers on to the injured part of the ankle and started to make circular motions on the swollen ankle.

Tachibana hissed in pain once in a while, having to grab to closest thing he could reach; Kamio's arm. Once the nerves were untangled, Sakura placed some ointment to stop the swelling and wrapped his ankles in bandages tightly to avoid mishaps. "You're good to go," Sakura smiled as she patted Tachibana's left leg, not noticing the reddened cheeks of her patient when he saw her smile.

"You're pretty good at this medical stuff," Uchimura said as he and Mori helped Tachibana to his feet. "My mother was a doctor. I learned from her," Sakura smiled slightly and walked away with Katsuo, both have different destination. Sakura was heading towards the clubhouse to put away the first aid kit while Katsuo was heading to the store room to put away the basket filled with tennis balls.

"'Was'? Did her mother retire?" Sakurai asked. "No. Actually, Sakura's parents both died in a car accident when she was only 5 years old. She doesn't have a guardian too," Kawamura said. "What about other family members?" Ishida asked. "All of them passed away. Either it was by natural causes, plain bad luck or maybe even murder. She once lived with her grandparents after her parent's death, but they died by heart disease when she was only 9 years old," Inui explained as he went through Sakura's profile.

"So, basically she lives alone?" Ibu Shinji asked. "Yes. But she's under the care of the Echizen family; well, sometimes. And she already inherited her family's fortune, so she has enough money until she enters college and found a job. Besides, her parents didn't sell the house they have here, in Japan. It's near the Echizen household," Kaidoh said as he concentrated once more on continuation of the match between Momo and Eiji.

"She's a strong girl, to have survived the life she had. Doesn't she mourn over her parents?" Tachibana asked from his spot under a shady tree where he sat. His teammates had placed him there where he can communicate with the others and at the same time, he can watch the match if he wants to.

"Her parents forbad her to mourn over them. They said if she does, their souls won't be able to rest in peace," Ryoma said. "That seems logical," Mori said, as his doubles partner nodded. "Sakura-chan's a wonderful girl. Strong, too. I wonder what it feels like if I was in her shoes," Ann said as she gazed at the sky.

"Game and Match, Kikumaru Eiji, 6 games to 4!" the umpire; Ikeda, said. "Nya, nya! I won, Momo-chan! You have to treat the team some burgers!" Eiji said happily as he did his very cute victory dance.

"Yeah, yeah. Next time, I'll make sure that I'll win!" Momo said as he exited the courts. "Sorry for the ankle, Tachibana-san," Momo apologized. "It's okay. It was an accident after all," Tachibana smiled reassuringly.

"Next, Fuji and Kawamura," Tezuka said as he adjusted his glasses. "Understood," Fuji smiled as he and Kawamura entered the court. Inui, who was collecting data, noticed someone had climbed on to his back with their arms wrapped around his neck loosely for support and their much smaller body pressed against his back.

He turned slightly to see Sakura smiling at him and he only patted her head fondly. He had gotten use to her climbing on to him. He found out that Sakura enjoyed views from a tall places, but since she was small, she climbed on to tall people's back; Inui being one of them.

"So, Inui-senpai, who do you think is going to win?" Sakura asked as she watched Fuji tried to counter Kawamura's Hadoukyuu.

"Well, it's hard to tell. Fuji might be the winner, but we should not ignore Kawamura's Power Tennis," Inui said as he scribbled down some notes in his book. "Ii… Data," he muttered underneath his breath.

"I have to agree with you. Fuji-senpai might be titled 'Prodigy' but Kawamura-senpai's Power Tennis is amazing," Sakura said. "I see, he's been working on the Hadoukyuu," Tachibana said as he turned to Ishida.

"Ah, seems so. His Hadoukyuu seemed to have gotten stronger," Ishida said. "He's been training hard recently. To be able to stand extreme training, Kawamura-senpai really is amazing," Sakura said as she smiled.

"Game and Match, Fuji Syuusuke, 6 games to 3!" Ikeda yelled out.

"Then again, Fuji-senpai isn't called the 'Prodigy' for nothing," Sakura laughed slightly and hopped off from Inui's back to go and grab two water bottles and two face towels.

She handed a water bottle and a towel each to both Fuji and Kawamura. They accepted the items with a smile.

As Fuji drank from his water bottle, he watched both his freshmen kouhais talking to each other. Well, Ryoma was lying on the grass with his head in Sakura's lap. Sakura on the other hand, combed through Ryoma's emerald tinted black hair soothingly. He felt a pang of jealousy as he watched Sakura's small finger guide themselves through Ryoma's locks. He wished he could switch spot with Ryoma right there and then.

"Kaidoh, grab your racket. We're up," Oishi said as he grabbed his own racket that was leaning against the clubhouse wall, outside. "Yes, senpai," Kaidoh said as he grabbed his racket too and rushed off into the court, ignoring Kamio's taunts.

They both played the match easily and Kaidoh could keep up with Oishi's pace. "Heh, Mamushi's getting better," Momo mused.

"Kaidoh-chan, Oishi, the loser has to buy burgers with Momo-chin and Taka-san!" Eiji yelled. "What about Echizen? He lost too," Fuji said as he turned towards his classmate and friend.

"I don't count. You guys made that bet during Momo-senpai's match with Eiji-senpai. So the bet starts from there," Ryoma said as he sipped his Ponta. "No fair, O-chibi!" Eiji yelled. "That sounds logical. We should accept that, then," Inui said as he pushed his glasses to correct the position.

"I hate you, Echizen," Momo mumbled. "The feeling is mutual, Momo-senpai," Ryoma smirked as he saw Momo flinched at his playful comment.

"Game and Match, Oishi Shuichiro, 7 games to 6!" Ikeda yelled out, making the regulars from both school to turn and witness Kaidoh and Oishi panting on the court. Once Kaidoh got out from the court, Kamio approached him with a smirk.

"It looks like the Mamushi was no match for the vice-captain. I knew you were weak, but I didn't think you were _that_ weak," Kamio taunted. Kaidoh snapped at the comment and turned towards Kamio. The snake-like boy grabbed the redhead by his collar and pulled Kamio towards him.

"What did you say, you bastard?" Kaidoh yelled. "Kaidoh-senpai, calm down! I'm sure Kamio-senpai didn't mean it!" Sakura said as she grabbed Kaidoh's arms and tried to pry them off of Kamio. Momo and Eiji already grabbed Kaidoh in time while Oishi tried to separate Kaidoh from Fudomine's fukubuchou.

Kaidoh calmed down after hearing Sakura's words and released Kamio from his grasp. Kamio then stumbled backwards a bit and regained his balance. Sakura bowed to her waist in front of the Fudomine crew and said, "Please forgive my senpai's rudeness. He meant no harm."

Sakura then glanced at Kaidoh who had his head turned away from her and the Fudomine team. Sakura pulled Kaidoh's arm and he ended up almost bowing to his waist. The second year turned to his kouhai and sent a curious gaze. "Say sorry," Sakura whispered.

Kaidoh sighed inwardly and turned to Kamio and Tachibana. "I'm sorry," he muttered audibly and left the court the next second; probably to cool down. Sakura only smiled at Kaidoh's jogging figure and turned towards Tachibana.

The Fudomine boys were stunned while Ann was grinning. They never met a person like Sakura who would apologize for her teammate's behalf. She could also control a hothead like Kaidoh; she even got him to _apologize_ to them.

Tachibana bowed his head and said, "Please forgive Kamio's rudeness instead. He caused Kaidoh to lose his cool; we're ready to forgive you if you could forgive us."

Sakura only smiled, indicating that she had forgiven them for what Kamio had done. "Tezuka, Inui, both of you are next," Fuji smiled. "Good luck, Tezuka-buchou, Inui-senpai!" Sakura said as she waved at the two third year that entered the court.

Tezuka only nodded and Inui gave her a small smile. They both started playing with Inui served the ball to Tezuka's side. The two were absorbed in their game that they didn't notice Ryuuzaki Sumire walked towards the court they were battling in.

"Oh, they're going all out," Ryuuzaki said as she watched the two third year in the courts battling it out.

"Ah, Ryuuzaki-sensei. Hello," Tachibana greeted from his spot under the tree with a slight nod. Ryuuzaki turned to him and the rest of his team. "Ah, Fudomine. What are you all doing here? Are you all here to watch our practice?" Ryuuzaki asked.

"Yes, we are. You don't mind, do you?" Kamio asked as he tilted his head slightly to the right. "No, not at all," Ryuuzaki answered as she shook her head.

"Can I see the scores?" Ryuuzaki then turned to Oishi. Oishi in return, gave her a clipboard that had a paper with their scores written on the first page. "Hm, seems that all of you have gotten better and stronger. Good, keep up the good work," Ryuuzaki said as he handed the clipboard back to Oishi's awaiting hands.

"Yes!" most of the unoccupied Seigaku regulars said. Ryuuzaki then walked away, as Inui and Tezuka finished their match. "Game and Match, Tezuka Kunimitsu, 6 games to 4!" Ikeda yelled out as Oishi wrote down the scores.

"Well, that's a wrap. So, Fudomine, does anyone like to challenge one of us?" Kawamura asked as he turned towards the Fudomine crew and Ann who were resting under the shady tree, alongside Tachibana.

"I want to challenge Haruno-chan, if that's not a bother," Ishida said as he stood up and grabbed his racket. "No, it's not a bother at all, Ishida-senpai. And just call me Sakura, or Sakura-chan," Sakura smiled as she grabbed her red racket and walked into the court.

"Ishida! You better win!" Sakurai yelled and earned a friendly "Sure, sure" from his doubles partner. The other Fudomine regulars watched the two regulars, each from different teams got ready. Ann on the other hand, was chatting with Oishi as she interrogated him about Sakura. Ann's main goal is to set Sakura up with her brother, after noticing that her brother's face turns red every time Sakura smiled at him and the way he kept staring at her.

The other boys seem to do the exact same thing, but slightly lesser times than Tachibana. "What? She's innocent about romance; love?" Ann asked Oishi, as she was shocked by the information. Tachibana and the others turned to watch in mild amusement and mild curiosity.

"Ah, her parents want to keep her innocent and clueless until she turns 18 or so," Oishi explained. Tachibana, Ann and the other Fudomine boys were shocked.

"One set match, Ishida Tetsu to serve!" Ikeda yelled, making everyone turn towards the court where Ishida was bouncing the ball. He served and it hit Sakura's part of the court. "15-Love!" Ikeda yelled. 3 more serves passed and Ishida one the first game.

"Huh, she seemed amazing when she played against Echizen-kun. Maybe she's not that strong. Then again, she might drop the first game on purpose, but what's the point? Maybe she's collecting data about Ishida…" Ibu mumbled. Kamio had to hit him on the head to stop the mumblings.

Sakura then served a twist serve, which Ishida couldn't counter. The next serve was a normal serve and Ishida countered it only to receive a strong reply.

Ishida then used his Hadoukyuu that sent Sakura's racket flying away and hit the metal fence that was a few feet away. "Heh, a very strong Hadoukyuu you got there, Ishida-senpai," Sakura smiled as she picked up her racket.

"But…" Sakura said as she served another regular serve, "Even I have something up my sleeves." Ishida returned her serve but was only met with Sakura in the Hadoukyuu stance. His eyes widened, 'She's not serious, is she?' he thought.

Sakura hit the ball and Ishida's expectations were right, she hit the Hadoukyuu. Ishida tried to counter it but somehow, the ball was too strong that it went through Ishida's racket and caught in one of the holes of the metal fence. His racket flew away and hit the metal fence behind him.

Ishida noticed his hand shaking from shock and excitement. "A-Amazing! Sakura-chan, you're amazing!" Ishida said as he turned to the girl opposite from him. "You're exaggerating, Ishida-senpai," Sakura said as she pouted, her cheeks were tinted in pink.

The boys blushed when they saw Sakura's pout. She was too cute! "Well, I'm not going to continue this match. I might lose my arm or something," Ishida joked as he picked up his racket. "Maybe you're right," Sakura said as she twirled her racket. "Besides, Sakura-chan can do the Hadoukyuu more than once," Kawamura said as he watched his kouhai and Ishida exit the court.

"Hah? More than once?" Uchimura asked as he neared Kawamura. The Seigaku regulars nodded and Tachibana turned to Sakura. Sakura shuffled her right foot on the ground. "That's not normal for a girl like you," Mori said as he poked Sakura's stomach playfully with a grin. Sakura pouted once again and Mori had to stumble backwards to make sure Sakura doesn't see his reddened cheeks.

"Well, we better get going. Nii-san needs to rest. How many weeks should nii-san rest his ankle?" Ann asked as she helped her brother to stand. "One week is enough, but it's safer if you rest it for two weeks," Sakura answered as she reached for something in her bag.

Sakura's hand grazed over something and immediately grabbed it. She pulled the item from her bag and handed it to Ibu. "This is for Tachibana-senpai's ankle. It's a type of ointment that'll heal swollen injuries," Sakura smiled at Ibu and Tachibana. Ibu mumbled something inaudible but most of them heard something in the lines of 'Sakura… too cute…'

"Well, we're going now! Thank you for your hospitality!" Sakurai, Ishida, Mori and Uchimura yelled as they waved at the Seigaku regulars. Sakura, Momo, Eiji, Oishi and Kawamura waved back. Kamio and Ibu was helping Tachibana walk while Ann was holding her brother's bag.

"I really hope that Tachibana will be okay," Oishi said as he and Tezuka along with Fuji walked back to the clubhouse. Kawamura and Eiji tailed behind them. Inui and Kaidoh were discussing about Kaidoh's training menu as they walked towards the clubhouse. Momo ruffled Ryoma's hair along the way.

Sakura was walking behind them. Then, she sneezed. She rubbed her finger under her nose. "Someone must be talking about me," Sakura mused as she stared at the sky.

-With the Tachibana siblings-

Ann and Tachibana were walking down the road towards their house. Ann had a sly grin as she scooted closer to her brother. "Ne, nii-san, what do you think of Sakura?" Ann asked slyly.

Tachibana's cheeks were tinted in pink as he coughed. "Well, she's a wonderful girl," Tachibana answered. "Do you have a crush on her?" Ann mused playfully. Tachibana's face turned red and Ann, right there and then, already knew the answer.

"You do! You do have a crush on her!" Ann said excitingly. Tachibana turned even redder (if that is even possible). 'It's true I've fallen for her… but still, do I really have a chance?' Tachibana thought.

"Don't worry nii-san! I'll help you claim Sakura-chan's heart!" Ann said as she gave her brother the thumbs up.

'You would mess things up, Ann,' Tachibana mused inwardly, 'Wait- didn't Oishi said Sakura's innocent and clueless in the romance departure?'

-With Kamio and Ibu-

"So, where should we go? Want to go to the sports store and buy some grip tape?" Kamio asked his best friend. Ibu only nodded with a mutter of, "Ok."

"Ne, Kamio, do you like Sakura? I mean, do you have a crush on her or are you going to stick with Ann?" Ibu asked suddenly.

Kamio stopped in his track and thought about it. 'Do I love Ann or Sakura more?' Kamio thought. Images of Ann seemed to decrease while images of cute little Sakura seemed to increase rapidly. 'I can't make up my mind!' Kamio thought as he ripped of his hair, in his thoughts of course.

"If you fall for Sakura, I won't forgive you," Ibu said as he walked past his friend. "What the hell, Shinji! You can't have Sakura!" Kamio yelled as he ran to catch up to his mumbling friend.

-With Sakurai and Ishida-

"Ne, Ishida, was it really fun going against Sakura?" Sakurai asked. Ishida only nodded, his thoughts trailed over to Sakura. Sakurai thoughts also trailed over to Sakura.

"Sakurai, I need to tell you something," Ishida said as he turned to his friend. "Me too," Sakurai said. They both sucked in some air and simultaneously said, "I have a crush on Sakura-chan!"

They blinked and stared at each other. "Did… you just… said…?" Sakurai muttered. Ishida was shocked. Both of them clearly have a problem.

-With Mori and Uchimura-

"You have a crush on her?" Uchimura turned to his doubles partner. Mori only nodded in reply.

Uchimura fumed, "You can't! I have a crush on her too!" Mori turned to his partner and stared at him. Clearly, they can't agree who's more compatible with Sakura.

This will be a big problem for both of them.

-With Sakura and Ryoma. Location: Sakura's house-

"Why do I get the feeling someone's talking about me?" Sakura asked out loud and received a shrug from Ryoma; whom was busy with his Math homework.

Sakura decided to ignore the feeling too, and continued her on her Math homework as well, snickering inwardly at the childish questions. 'How easy,' she thought as she finished her work while Ryoma was stuck on the last question.

-x-

**Well, that's a wrap for this chapter! The next chapter; well I don't know when it's going to come out. But please wait for it. Please review, your review makes me feel all gooey inside! They are the reasons why I updated this story in a short amount of time! I'm sorry if the third chapter will come out late, but the reason is my exams already started, so... You know. Burying myself in this year books and I also have to read last year syllabus. Ugh, I think the teachers are trying to kill us.**

-Mesweet735.


	3. Chapter 3

**IMPORTANT A/N: I decided to make the story right after the Seigaku vs Yamabuki match. Sakura entered Seigaku a day after Seigaku went against Yamabuki. I already corrected some things in the first and second chapters. The story starts from there. For the Higuma Otoshi, it was shown in episode 39 in the P.O.T where Ryoma and Fuji had a practice match, before Seigaku went against Yamabuki. So, in my story, Mizuki decided to spy on the Seigaku regulars during the day where Fuji and Ryoma had that practice match. During Seigaku vs Yamabuki day, Sakura got lost at St Rudolph's school grounds (refer to chapter 1). So, the Seigaku still haven't competed in the Kantou Regionals Tournaments and the Nationals. This story starts in between the Seigaku vs Yamabuki episode until the day where Kirihara Akaya got lost at Seigaku (refer to episode 49 of P.O.T). SPOILER: So, right after chapter 4; where Sakura meets the Yamabuki crew, chapter 5 will start from Akaya getting lost at Seigaku. That's all. **

-Tennis no Ojou-sama: Haruno Sakura-

_Practice Matches with St Rudolph. _

Sakura was rushing as she wore her clothes, combed her hair and grabbed her tennis bag. She grabbed a meat croquette and stuffed it in her mouth. The extra meat croquettes she kept in a lunch box and stuffed it in to her bag. She also grabbed the bento boxes at the kitchen table and ran out of the house.

She locked the door right after she wore her shoes. She then ran towards the Echizen household, praying that Ryoma had already woken up.

Today was the day where the Seigaku Tennis Regulars relax, play a light game against each other and have a picnic with each other. She and Ryoma were already late!

-Location: Street Courts-

"Unyaa! Where's O-chibi and Saku-chan, nya? They're late!" Eiji whined as he sat down next to Oishi on one of the unoccupied benches. "I really hope that they're fine," Oishi muttered.

"Heh, Echizen probably slept in late again and Sakura-chan had to wake him up! He can't do that to her, he just can't," Momo said as he crossed his arms behind his head.

"And anyways, we have to be patient and wait for them," Kawamura said as he sat down next to Inui whom was helping Kaidoh with his English essay.

"Nfufufu, what do we have here? The Seigaku regulars are all here, together," a familiar voice, tinted with amusement said behind them. The addressed Seigaku Regulars turned to see Mizuki Hajime and the rest of St Rudolph regulars.

"Ah, Mizuki-san! St Rudolph! What are you all doing here?" Momo said as he eyed the tennis rackets they were holding. "Obviously, we came here to play, dane. What are you all doing here, dane?" Yanagisawa Shinya asked back.

"Ah, we're waiting for our kouhais," Oishi said politely. "'Kouhais'? Do you mean to say that you're not waiting for Echizen only?" Akazawa Yoshirou asked.

"Yeah, we're waiting for another one. Not to brag, but the one we're waiting for, other than Echizen is our newest rookie; Sakura," Momo said proudly.

"'Sakura'? A girlish name for a boy. So, how good is he?" Kisarazu Atsushi asked. By the time everyone heard Atsushi's words, Momo and Eiji fell on the ground, rolling and laughing, Oishi and Kawamura laughed politely, Kaidoh snickered, Inui smiled in amusement, Fuji chuckled and Tezuka remained stoic.

"What's so funny? All I asked was whether your new rookie is good in tennis like Echizen or not," Atsushi said.

"No, before that!" Momo managed to say between his laughter. "What? About 'Sakura' being a girly name for a boy?" Atsushi asked as he arched an eyebrow.

If possible, Momo and Eiji laughed louder as they pounded their fists on the ground. "I don't get it, why are you all laughing?" Kaneda Ichirou asked.

"Sakura is actually a girl," Tezuka answered for the others.

Atsushi turned red from embarrassment and looked away. "Oh? A girl in the Seigaku team? Have you gotten _that_ weak that you need a girl to win?" Mizuki said as he played with a strand of his curled locks.

They all stopped laughing and Momo, Eiji and Kaidoh gave the St Rudolph manager a glare. "You shouldn't bad mouth our little Sakura-chan," Fuji said sadistically. "Oh? And what are you going to do about it, Fuji-kun? Nfufu," Mizuki laughed.

"Something awful is going to happen to you… Um, who are you again?" Fuji asked as he tilted his head to the side. Mizuki sputtered words out of his mouth, shocked by Fuji's question.

"Yuuta-kun, make you brother stop this nonsense!" Mizuki said to Fuji Yuuta all the while pointing at the elder Fuji. "Oh, Yuuta! How are you today?" Fuji asked as he neared his younger brother.

Yuuta on the other hand, stepped away from his sadistic brother for more space and sighed, "I'm fine, Aniki."

"Saa… If you're free right now, do you want to go on a date with me?" Fuji teased as he watched his brother chocked on his saliva. A red vein popped on Yuuta's forehead as he gritted his teeth, "No way in Hell, Aniki!"

"Mou, you look so cute when you're angry, Yuuta," Fuji laughed as another red vein popped on Yuuta's forehead. "Shut it, Aniki!" Yuuta barked.

"Senpai-tachi! Sorry we're late," they all heard a honey filled voice yelled. They turned to see Sakura waving at them with a sheepish grin and Ryoma walking beside her, looking as if he was going to fall asleep any time soon.

They noted that Sakura and Ryoma were wearing almost similar clothes. Ryoma wore a red t-shirt with a silver collar and a silver necklace was hanging around his neck. He wore black slacks and his silver tennis shoes. His hat was missing, probably folded in his pocket. He was also wearing a silver and black wristband on his left hand.

Sakura had on a red t-shirt with black designs on it. The t-shirt was underneath a kitty-eared jacket with kitty paws. She wore black slacks as well, but hers were a little long so the excess fabric pooled near her ankles. She was wearing white and silver tennis shoes, an emerald and silver tear drop shaped pendant hanged around her neck and a black wristband on her left wrist.

"Unya! Saku-chan! You look cute, nya!" Eiji exclaimed as he bounced towards his kouhais. "Both of you look almost like twins. You're wearing matching clothes," Kawamura said. Sakura looked down at her clothes and turned to Ryoma and said, "You know, I never noticed that we were wearing matching clothes."

Ryoma yawned and glanced at her, "We've had this 'curse' since we were born, you know. Our parents being one of the reasons we're wearing matching clothes."

"Ah, yeah. I almost forgot about that," Sakura muttered. "What do you mean by 'curse'?" Kiadoh asked as he stared at his kouhais.

"When we were kids, our parents made us wear matching clothes. After they stopped, somehow, both of us sometimes accidentally wear matching clothes," Sakura explained. "We've gotten used to it," Ryoma said as he walked towards the bench.

"Ah, St Rudolph. What are you all doing here?" Ryoma asked as he spotted the St Rudolph regulars. "Why does everyone want to ask us that, dane? Isn't it obvious, dane? We came here to play, dane!" Yanagisawa said.

"Friends of yours, Ryoma-kun?" Sakura asked as she came up behind Ryoma. "Hardly," Ryoma answered. "Tennis rivals, then?" Sakura asked and she earned a nod from her childhood friend.

"Ah, wait, St Rudolph…" Sakura muttered. "You went the once, right, Sakura-chan?" Fuji asked, finally leaving Yuuta alone. "Ah, the day I saw the Higuma Otoshi was at St Rudolph!"Sakura said as she cupped her fist.

"Ah, that's right," Inui said as he scribbled down some notes. "Eh? What do you mean by that?" Yuuta asked from behind Kaneda; away from his brother. "Mizuki-san showed you a video of Fuji-senpai doing the Higuma Otoshi once, right?" Momo asked.

He earned a nod from all of them. "Ah, that was the day Sakura got lost on your school grounds and ended up watching the video without you guys noticing it," Momo said as he grinned at their horrified faces.

"And how unfortunate you were; Sakura had the ability to copy any moves she sees and makes them stronger by killing the most of the weak spots. The remaining weak spots are the hardest to find," Oishi explained with a sheepish grin.

By now, Akazawa and Kisarazu were shocked, Mizuki stopped twirling his hair around his finger and stared at the Seigaku Regulars with wide eyes, Yuuta, Nomura and Kaneda were horrified and Yanagisawa fainted.

"What bad luck," Kaneda said as he scratched the back of his head. Yanagisawa, whom had woken up due to Yuuta and Kisarazu poured water on him, pointed at Sakura. "How strong are you?" he asked suddenly.

"Echizen can't beat her," Inui stated simply. Yuuta chocked on his saliva and stared at Sakura who was talking to Ryoma. 'If she's that strong, I don't think I can ever beat her,' Yuuta sighed inwardly.

"Ah, senpai. I brought the bentos!" Sakura said as she showed them the paper bag she was holding. "Uwaah! I'm already hungry!" Momo grinned. Inui took the bag from Sakura's hands and went towards the courts. He set it down on a bench which was occupied with the Seigaku Regulars' tennis bags.

"Practice first or bentos first?" Eiji asked. "Practice first," Tezuka answered immediately, pushing his glasses upwards to correct its position.

"Hehh, so who's against whom?" Ryoma asked as he set down his tennis bag. Sakura followed after him and grabbed her red racket.

Then, Akazawa got a brilliant idea. "Ne, do you mind playing with us?" he asked as his team watched him. "Ah, we don't mind at all," Oishi said. "Ne senpai-tachi, Ryo-kun and I are going to change!" Sakura said as she and Ryoma headed towards the changing rooms.

"Ah, wait for us, nya!" Eiji yelled as he and Momo chased after the two first years. The others followed them, leaving the St Rudolph regulars.

"They're a bunch of freaks," Nomura said as he sweat dropped when he saw Eiji pouncing on the rookies of Seigaku. 'Senpai-tachi are a bigger bunch of freaks,' Yuuta and Kaneda thought when he saw Mizuki talking sadistically talking to Yanagisawa whom was shifting from side to side, Nomura and Atsushi arguing with each other. Akazawa sighed at his teammates' (except Yuuta and Kaneda) behavior.

The Seigaku regulars came back. Tezuka was wearing white shorts and a light purple shirt. Fuji wore white shorts as well and a beige t-shirt. Oishi and Eiji were both wearing white shorts with black lining on the side. Oishi wore a dark green shirt while Eiji wore a red one. Inui was wearing a pair of green pants and a white t-shirt. Kawamura wore a white shirt and a blue pants. Momo was wearing a pair of blue pants and his usual yellow t-shirt. Kaidoh was in his usual black sleeveless shirt, white shorts and green bandana. Ryoma was in his red t-shirt and black shorts, his cap resting on his head. Sakura also wore the same attire as Ryoma.

"What are you guys? Twins?" Atsushi asked as he eyed the both first years in amusement. They reminded him of his older twin; Ryo and himself when they were kids.

"Heh, you could say that, senpai," Sakura said, then froze, "You know, I still don't know your names, St Rudolph no senpai-tachi."

"Ah, you're right. I'm Akazawa Yoshirou; third year, the captain," Akazawa nodded. "Nomura Takuya; third year and vice-captain," Nomura greeted as he bowed his head a bit. "Mizuki Hajime; third year, Manager," Mizuki said as he twirled his hair around his finger.

"Kisarazu Atsushi; third year, Treasurer," Atsushi said as he tilted his head. "Yanagisawa Shinya; third year, dane," Yanagisawa grinned. "Fuji Yuuta; second year. I'm… his otoutou," Yuuta said and scrunched his nose when he pointed at the elder Fuji.

Sakura noticed this and smiled. 'Not fond of Fuji-senpai is he? Must because he is only known as Fuji-senpai's otoutou,' she thought.

"Ah… I'm Kaneda Ichirou, nice to meet you. I'm in the second year," Kaneda said as he blushed. Sakura smiled at him, and didn't notice her smile caused him to blush brighter.

"Haruno Sakura; first year, Seigaku's only female regular," Sakura bowed to her waist as she introduced herself.

"You must be strong to be the only female regular," Yuuta commented. 'She's really cute,' he thought. "Not really. I'm just average, Fuji-senpai," Sakura said to Yuuta.

'And very humble too,' Yuuta thought once more. "Ah, just call me Yuuta. It's hard calling both me and Aniki, 'Fuji-senpai'," Yuuta said. "B-But that would be rude, senpai! To call a senpai by his first name is not very polite and respectful of me to do so," Sakura said as she looked down on the ground. She shuffled her left feet slightly and glanced up, to see Yuuta looking down on her in amusement.

"It's fine by me, really! Just call me Yuuta-senpai!" Yuuta said as he knocked his knuckles on Sakura's forehead playfully. "I-If you're sure, Y-Yuuta-senpai…" Sakura trailed off. Yuuta only nodded in reply and it made Sakura smiled a little.

"Ah, maybe you should call me by my first name, too," Atsushi said as he neared the two. Somehow, seeing Yuuta making Sakura smile made him really uncomfortable and a bit jealous of Yuuta.

"Eh? Why?" Sakura questioned as she tilted her head to the left cutely. "I have a twin brother at Chiba. If you encounter him one day, I don't want you to confuse us by calling us 'Kisarazu-senpai'," Atsushi said as he coughed a little; sighing in relief that his blush went unnoticed.

"Then, I should call you… Atsushi-senpai," Sakura asked as she tilted her head to the side once more. Atsushi smiled a bit and nodded.

"Oi! Oi! Don't act as if you're close with Sakura-chan!" Momo said, annoyed by both Yuuta and Atsushi. "Saa… It seems Momo got jealous. I would be too, ne Tezuka?" Fuji whispered to Tezuka.

"Maybe we should start now," Oishi said as he tried to calm the second year powerhouse. "Ah, we should. Well, you guys better find a partner to go against," Akazawa said at his friends.

The St Rudolph regulars approached the Seigaku regulars. In the end, Momo was going against Atsushi, Kaidoh with Yanagisawa, Oishi against Kaneda, Akazawa against Sakura, Ryoma against Yuuta, Mizuki against Inui, Kikumaru against Nomura. Fuji, Tezuka and Kawamura chose to watch.

"Yosh! Momo, do your best!" Oishi yelled from the benches. Momo only grinned in response.

"Atsushi! Beat him!" Yanagisawa yelled from the St Rudolph benches. "I got this one," Atsushi replied.

"One set match, Momoshiro to serve," Inui said from the high chair. "Don!" Momo yelled as he served. "Ah, it's here! Momo's Bullet Serve!" Oishi said as he smiled.

"Ah. Atsushi-senpai expected it," Sakura said as she watched Atsushi hit the ball with a confident smirk.

The rally between the two young men lasted quite a while. "Mou! When is it going to end, nya?" Eiji yelled. "Momo's in the lead by 5-4," Kawamura said.

"Hehh, Mada Mada Dane," Ryoma smirked and sipped his Ponta. "Momo-senpai must be having fun out there. He's been grinning for quite some time now," Sakura stated, not really paying attention to the game, as she already knew the winner.

"40-30!" Inui called out when Momo hit the ball at a place Atsushi couldn't reach. "One more ball and Momo wins," Fuji mused.

"100% he's going to use his Dunk Smash in 5 minutes," Sakura stated as she stands up. "Correct me if I was wrong," Sakura said as she went away.

Exactly in five minutes, Momo used his Dunk Smash that got him the winning point, just as Sakura predicted. "Heh, Sakura-chan's instincts were right," Fuji chuckled in amusement.

"Well, Sakura's instincts are stronger than ours," Kaidoh hissed. "Uwaah! That was tiring!" Momo grinned as he came towards the Seigaku regulars. "Here you go," Oishi said as he handed Momo a towel and a water bottle.

"Ah, thank you," Momo said as he accepted the said items.

"It's okay if you lost, Kisarazu. You did your best," Akazawa said as he handed a water bottle to Atsushi. "Ah," Atsushi's answer was short.

"Kaidoh, hurry up. You're next, remember?" Oishi said as he turned to the snake-like second year. "Fshuu…" Kaidoh hissed in response and walked towards the court.

"Saa… Kaidoh is serious already. Must be because of a certain someone," Fuji said as he turned to Momo. "Both of them are quite simple-minded to easily be enraged by one another," Tezuka said.

Oishi, Eiji and Kawamura snickered while Fuji and Inui chuckled. "Both of them are idiots," Ryoma said as he glanced at Sakura who returned with a can of grape Ponta and a can of cherry Ponta. "Here," Sakura said as she threw the can of grape Ponta at the Seigaku Rookie.

Ryoma caught it with ease, opened the tab and started to sip his third can of Ponta. "Don't you ever get sick of that? I bet 70% of your blood is made out of Ponta by now!" Momo said as he stared at Ryoma drink. "What about Sakura? You're not lecturing her," Ryoma complained as he pointed to his slightly cranky friend.

"Ne, are you okay, Sakura-chan? You seem… a bit cranky today," Oishi said as he noticed Sakura's odd behavior. "I'm… fine. I didn't get enough sleep," Sakura replied quickly, trying to ignore her headache.

"How many hours did you miss?" Tezuka questioned. "Ah, it's nothing to be worried about, buchou," Sakura send Tezuka a forced reassurance smile.

"Sakura," Tezuka warned. "Ah, about an hour," Sakura said, her headache getting worse. Sakura then felt Ryoma pulling her and rested her head on his chest. "You know you're supposed to get your 8 hours of sleep. You can't miss even a minute, Sakura," Ryoma said.

Sakura only nodded, her eyelids betraying her by closing her eyes completely. Her steady and calm breaths were the only thing that indicated she was already asleep.

"I completely forgot that Sakura-chan can't sleep less than 8 hours exact," Kawamura said as he watched Kaidoh going against Yanagisawa, the favor was on the Seigaku snake-like second year by 4-3.

"Nya,nya! What was she doing last night?" Eiji questioned the Seigaku Rookie. Everyone, except Kaidoh turned to the cat-eyed boy with an arched eyebrow.

Ryoma shrugged in response then said, "Don't look at me. How should I know? It's not like she was doing her homework until late at night." which made most of the Seigaku regulars fell anime style, with the exception of Tezuka, Inui and Fuji.

"Mou! O-chibi, didn't you stay with her, nya?" Eiji asked once more and Ryoma's silence was the answer.

"Game and Match, Kaidoh, 7 games to 5!" Inui yelled. "Yay! Yay! Seigaku will always win nya!" Eiji celebrated until Oishi hushed him with the reason Sakura was sleeping. "Sorry!" Eiji apologized.

"Oishi, it's your turn. Good luck," Fuji said as he watched Oishi grabbed his racket. "Go, Oishi, nya!" Eiji laughed. "Oishi-senpai! Win this for us!" Momo said.

"Here," Inui said as he threw a towel and water bottle at Kaidoh. "Ah, thanks," Kaidoh said.

"One set match, Kaneda to serve!" Inui then yelled.

Kaneda served a normal serve and Oishi return it easily. 'I can't take him easily. This is the person that broke through the Australian Formation. I need to be careful,' Oishi thought as he returned the ball with a forehand.

The game continued with both boys not losing a point.

"Kaneda has gotten stronger," Akazawa noted. "Erm, he's been training a lot too," Yuuta said as he watched the match but sometimes his eyes would travel to the sleeping pink haired girl.

"Did he do his training alone, dane?" Yanagisawa asked after sulking over his lost. "Most probably," Atsushi answered. "Actually, he trained with Yuuta and I," Nomura answered.

"Oh? Maybe I should increase his training menu a bit," Mizuki mused. "Oi, oi, Mizuki! Kaneda is doing fine right now. Change it in a few days. The menu you gave him was two days ago; let him get used to it first!" Akazawa scolded.

"I understand, I understand," Mizuki laughed as he twirled a lock of hair.

'Mizuki-san is creepy when he wants to be,' Yuuta thought in fear as a shiver went up his spine.

"Game and Match, Oishi, 7 games to 6," Inui said out loud.

"That was a good game. Thank you for playing me," Kaneda said as he shook hands with Oishi. "Ah, you're strong. It was very enjoyable playing with you, Kaneda-kun," Oishi said as he smiled, "Akazawa is next, correct?"

"Ah, Akazawa-buchou is going against Sakura-chan. Tell her I said 'Good Luck'!" Kaneda said as he headed back to the other St Rudolph regulars. "Ah, I will," Oishi said back.

"Good game, Kaneda. You're improving," Akazawa smiled. "Ah, thank you, Akazawa-buchou," Kaneda said as he bowed, "Good luck facing Sakura-chan!"

"Ah, I really hope luck is on my side today," Akazawa laughed as he head to the court, racket in hand. "Good luck, Akazawa-buchou!" Yuuta yelled and earned a lazy wave in return.

"I swear, he's only nice to you, Kaneda," Yuuta pointed out. "What about you? Mizuki-san and Yanagisawa-senpai are nice to you," Kaneda noted. "I don't mind Yanagisawa-senpai. But Mizuki-san…" Yuuta trailed off as a shiver ran up his spine.

Kaneda noticed his face and pat his fellow second year on the back while saying, "I know how you feel, Yuuta."

This earned both of them a slight glare from Mizuki. Both the second years laughed nervously and used Atsushi and Yanagisawa as their human shield from Mizuki's penetrating glare.

"Sakura-chan. Wake up, dear. It's time for you to defeat Akazawa," Fuji sang as he shook his adorable kouhai. "Five more minutes…" Sakura mumbled. "Akazawa, do you mind waiting five minutes?" Oishi asked.

Akazawa only smiled, indicating that he didn't mind waiting. Exactly after five minutes, Sakura woke up by herself. "My match already?" she mused as she grabbed her red racket.

"Do your best, Sakura-chan!" Kawamura said. "I got it!" Sakura smiled. "Oh, by the way, Kaneda-kun wished 'Good Luck'!" Oishi said. "Kaneda-senpai..." Sakura mused.

When she reached the court, Akazawa was already waiting for her, his face showed amusement. "Not enough sleep?" he asked. "I need exactly 8 hours of sleep. If not…" Sakura trailed off. "You get cranky?" Akazawa continued but it sounded like a question.

"No. I was cranky because I had a migraine earlier. If I don't get enough sleep, I'll accidentally fall asleep in the court or I don't play seriously," Sakura said. Her answer made Akazawa chuckled in amusement, 'This girl is certainly interesting.'

"One set match, Akazawa to serve!"

"Ugh!" Akazawa served only to have Sakura return the ball but he immediately took the chance and aimed it at the left corner. "15-Love!"

"Heh, you're pretty good, Akazawa-senpai," Sakura said, tilting her cap a bit. Akazawa only smirked in reply. Throughout the first game, Akazawa managed to get points from Sakura.

"Akazawa lead, 1 game to love!" Inui said.

"Ah, Akazawa's doing great out there. She can't even get a point," Nomura said. "No, she dropped the game on purpose," Atsushi said. Nomura and Kaneda turned to him; both their heads were tilted in confusion.

"She was analyzing Akazawa's game play throughout the game," Mizuki answered for Atsushi. "She's good. Really good," Yuuta commented.

'That girl, she's not even sweating. She's very composed. It's true she dropped the game on purpose but I didn't show _everything_ I have in that game,' Akazawa smirked inwardly.

Sakura swung her racket a couple of times and adjusted her racket strings a bit. 'So that how it works. I was completely disappointed that he didn't show me every trick he has up his sleeves, but it'll do for the moment,' Sakura thought.

"Nya! Saku-chan! Show Akazawa your tennis, nya!" Eiji yelled as he bounced up and down. "Sakura, you better not fail us. You've never been beaten before; don't let anyone defeat you now!" Momo yelled too.

Both of them earned a lazy wave from their small rookie.

"Ne, Akazawa-senpai, you didn't show me all of your tricks, right?" Sakura asked as she threw the ball up into the air, "Then, let me show you half of mine!"

Sakura hit the ball and it traveled to Akazawa's side. Akazawa tried to return it but the ball then flew towards his face. He managed to dodge it and the ball fell back onto the ground with a thud.

"T-Twist Serve…" Akazawa muttered in shock. He then turned to the smirking girl opposite from him.

"Ah! Isn't that the Twist Serve?" Yanagisawa asked as he stood up in shock. The others were shocked and Mizuki smirked.

'Adorable yet very powerful, that girl… She's so cute,' Mizuki laughed inwardly.

"Ne, Akazawa-senpai, want me to do that again?" Sakura asked as she twirled the racket in her hand. "Just serve already, Sakura," Akazawa smiled in amusement.

Sakura just shrugged and did as she was told. Another Twist Serve, but Akazawa managed to return it only to have Sakura hit the ball with a backhand to his weak spot.

The whole game went to Sakura's favor. "Sakura, 1 game all!" Inui called out and Eiji and Momo already started celebrating.

Sakura then switched the racket to her left hand while saying, "Che. I can't believe I have to use my dominant hand already. Well, I do have the St Rudolph captain as my opponent."

'She's left handed like Echizen. She's very amazing and full of surprises. She has the ability to see moving objects like Kikumaru, eh?' Akazawa thought. 'If I'm right, then she won't be able to return my Blurring Ball.'

Akazawa served and Sakura managed to return it. He hit the ball once more and it traveled to Sakura's side of the court. Sakura hit the ball with a backhand and Akazawa returned it once more, but hit the ball near his racket's frame.

Sakura tried to return it but images of the ball were present. 'Is that one or two…?' Sakura thought as she closed her eyes. The ball passed her and Akazawa gained a point. "15-Love!"

"Ah! Akazawa's Blurring Ball!" Momo said. Kaidoh hissed in annoyance while he watched Sakura rubbed her eyes.

The games passed and Akazawa hit his Blurring Ball technique at the time given for him to do so. The match was in his favor by 4-3.

"This is bad for Sakura-chan. If Akazawa keep hitting his Blurring Ball, Sakura won't be able to win," Fuji said and Kawamura only nodded.

"Too bad this isn't Doubles. If it was, then her partner could cover for her," Inui stated as he waited for Sakura and Akazawa to rest a bit.

"Inui-senpai's right. Fshuuu…" Kaidoh hissed. "Eh? Echizen, aren't you worried about Sakura-chan?" Oishi asked Ryoma whom was sipping his can of Ponta without any worry.

Ryoma smirked, "No. Just wait and see senpai." Everyone stared at Ryoma for a moment then turned back to the game. Then they noticed Sakura smiling.

"Are, are, I didn't know I have to use _that_ technique here. I was hoping to save it at the Kantou Regional Tournaments or maybe the Nationals. But then again, if I don't use it, I won't be able to win," Sakura said as she closed her eyes.

Akazawa noticed her eyes were still closed when she served but didn't miss the ball. Akazawa returned it but then noticed Sakura hit the ball back; eyes still closed.

'So, she's going to play with her eyes closed. That'll be suicide!' Akazawa thought.

"Eh? Is she going to play with her eyes closed? B-But that's impossible!" Kaneda said. The others just watched the match in slight shock.

"Heh, I'm not surprised," Yuuta said and it made his teammates turned to look at him, "She's Echizen's best friend. If he could do the impossible, then she can do twice of it."

"Ah? Saku-chan is playing with her eyes closed, nya?" Eiji yelled in shock. "She can't do that! That's suicide!" Momo said.

"Stop, Sakura! You can't possibly play with your eyes closed!" Oishi yelled.

"It's okay to let her do it, Oishi-senpai," Ryoma said and made his teammates turned to him, "That technique is Sakura's specialty."

'W-What is going on? She's the one playing with her eyes closed and yet, I'm the one having trouble. She sealed me Blurring Ball technique completely,' Akazawa thought in dismay as he ran to the left corner to hit the ball but missed.

"40-love!" Inui said aloud. "Nya! Match Point, nya!" Eiji yelled. "I just noticed. Sakura isn't having any trouble at all. She's barely sweating," Fuji noted.

"Ah! You're right, Fuji!" Kawamura said. Sakura was smiling; her eyes were covered with her eyelids. "The probability of the match going to end in 2 minutes… 67%," Inui stated, correcting the position of his glasses.

In 2 minutes, as Inui predicted, the match ended and Sakura stuck her tongue out, "Chan!"

"That… was a good… game," AKazawa managed to say in between his pants and breaths. He shook hands with Sakura and smiled.

Sakura smiled back and it made Akazawa's face lit up. "W-Well, I hope we can play against each other in the near future," he said nervously, inwardly relieved that Sakura didn't notice his blush.

"Oh, by the way, Akazawa-senpai," Sakura said as she started to walk back to her teammates, "Thanks for showing me that special move of yours. It would come in handy one day."

Akazawa chuckled, "That girl… she's full of surprises. Seigaku, looks like you have another strong rookie other opponents need to watch out."

"Yuuta-kun, it's your turn already," Mizuki said. "I know, I know," Yuuta said as he grabbed his racket. "Ne, Akazawa-buchou, what did it felt like? Going against Sakura, I mean," Yuuta asked.

"You feel satisfied, as if you don't mind losing to her and yet, you're addicted to that feeling and it makes you want to go against her over and over," Akazawa answered, his hands trembling in excitement.

"I see," Mizuki said simply as he cupped his chin. "Ne, Yuuta! You better not lose to that chibi again!" Yanagisawa yelled. 'I don't know about that…' Yuuta thought.

"Heh, can't believe we're facing each other again," Ryoma commented when he got to his side. "Yeah, me too," Yuuta said distastefully.

Ryoma only smirked and got into position. "You serve," he said, "I'm too lazy to do it." Yuuta stared at him disbelievingly and sighed in annoyance.

'That guy… really gets on my nerves sometimes,' Yuuta thought as he threw the ball. "Ne, Fuji-senpai's Otoutou," Ryoma said.

"Don't call me that!" Yuuta yelled, not noticing an attack from above until the ball he threw fell down on his head. A vein mark appeared on his forehead as he tried to calm himself down.

Ryoma's smirk widened and his eyes showed amusement. "Have you gotten stronger?" Ryoma asked. "Just wait and see," Yuuta replied.

"Just don't be such a cry baby when I win," Ryoma said as a smirk formed on his face. Yuuta felt his left eye twitched.

"That kid provoked Yuuta again," Nomura said, disbelievingly. "Such a scary first year," Atsushi said as he shook his head. "Dane," Yanagisawa agreed.

Throughout the game, Yuuta only used the Twist Spin Shot once or twice; never often. "Eh, you've stopped using that special move," Ryoma said as he returned a ball with a backhand.

"Yeah, I found out that move will cause a problem with my arm sooner or later," Yuuta answered as he returned the ball.

"I warned you," Ryoma smirked, "But you were to stubborn." Yuuta only rolled his eyes as he returned another ball.

"Talk to the racket," Yuuta said as he waved his racket a bit. Ryoma smirked once more, "So immature."

The match ended in a 6-4; Ryoma's win. "Are you going to cry?" Ryoma teased as he went away. "Shut up, you brat!" Yuuta yelled as he threw the tennis ball he was holding directly at Ryoma. Ryoma caught it with his racket and waved a bit.

"That brat…" Yuuta muttered as he went back to his teammates. "Mizuki-san, you're up next, right?" Yuuta asked as he sat down beside the addressed senpai. Mizuki only chuckled and nodded slightly. "Good luck, then," Yuuta said as he sipped from his water bottle.

Mizuki only smiled; which sent shivers down Yuuta's spine. "I don't need luck, Yuuta-kun. Nfu," Mizuki said as he stood up, his racket was held gently.

"Mizuki-san is so scary," Kaneda whispered. "I agree," Yuuta nodded. It seems as if Mizuki heard them, because the next second, the mentioned third year glared at them once more. This time, they used Akazawa and Nomura as their human shield.

"Inui-kun, I'm pleased to go against you," Mizuki laughed. "I, as well too," Inui stated, correcting the position of his glasses. "I'll give you the honor to start then, Inui-kun," Mizuki said as he got into position. "Thank you, then," Inui said as he got into position as well.

He dug in his pocket for a ball and pulled it out. He threw it and hit the sphere shaped object to Mizuki's side. Mizuki returned it, all the while collecting data about Inui.

Inui was also doing the same. All the while they were collecting data about each other which made Sakura a bit wary about their match. "If they continue to do this, the match isn't going to end any time soon," Sakura sighed.

"You're right, Sakura-chan," Oishi said as he sweat dropped at the sight of Inui mumbling and Mizuki laughing. "They're an odd pair, don't you think?" Ryoma muttered. The others just nodded in reply; they sweat dropped also, except Tezuka and Fuji.

The match ended with Inui winning by 7-6. "It seems we're evenly match, Inui-kun. I can't wait to have another match with you in the near future," Mizuki said as he twirled his hair.

Inui only nodded and walked away. "Congratulations, Inui-senpai. You won," Sakura said as she handed the tall third year a towel and a water bottle.

"Ah, it was a tough battle," Inui said. "We noticed," Kaidoh hissed. "Eiji, it's your time to shine!" Oishi said to his doubles partner.

"Unyaa! I know! I know!" Eiji said as he grabbed his racket and ran towards the court. "Do your bes, Eiji-senpai!" Momo yelled with a grin.

"Have fun out there, okay?" Sakura said, waving at the red headed third year. "Nya! Okay!" Eiji replied as he waved back.

"Ne, who are you?" Eiji asked when he neared the court, where Nomura was already waiting. "I'm Nomura, the vice-captain. I was suppose to go against Tezuka in the match between our schools but you guys won by getting three matches before my match," Nomura answered, slightly pissed off that no one had known about him.

"Oh, so that's how it is, nya. Well, let's start!" Eiji grinned as Nomura took his place to serve.

"Ah, what exactly Eiji said to him? He seems angry," Fuji said as he tilted his head to the side. "That's Eiji-senpai to you. He doesn't even know he insulted someone," Momo laughed.

"That's true," Oishi laughed sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head.

"Seems like Nomura is pissed off," Atsushi said as he watched the match. Throughout the game, Nomura couldn't keep up with Eiji's acrobatic play.

"Maybe that Kikumaru insulted him without knowing," AKazawa concluded. The others nodded in agreement.

The game ended with Eiji winning 6-2. "Nanjaroh Hoi Hoi!" Eiji yelled as he made a 'V' sign with his fingers.

"Poor Nomura-senpai," Kaneda sympathized. "He is the weakest player among all of us," Mizuki said. "Shut up! I'm the strongest!" Nomura yelled as he took off his glasses. He sat down next to Yuuta and sipped his water bottle.

"All of the matches ended already. We should probably get some lunch," Akazawa said as he packed his bags. In cue, Kaneda's and Yuuta's stomach growled. "S-Sorry," both of them mumbled and continued to pack.

Akazawa, Atsushi and Mizuki chuckled while Yanagisawa and Nomura laughed. Then, they noticed Sakura walking towards them. "Would you like to join us?" she asked as she pointed to her senpais that was enjoying the bento she made. "I brought some extras, just in case," Sakura then said.

"Of course we'd like join," Mizuki answered quickly, before Akazawa could decline. "Come on then," Sakura said as she walked away.

"Uwah! There's so many delicious food!" Yanagisawa said as they neared the Seigaku regulars. "Please, join us. You guys must be hungry," Oishi said as he patted a spot next to him.

The St Rudolph sat down and began to enjoy the food. "So, how was the match against Yamabuki the other day?" Akazawa asked, after gulping down the chewed food. "Ah, it was a bit hard. Especially on Echizen, having to fight Akutsu," Momo answered, after taking a bite of his tempura.

"The Kanto Regional tournaments are near. Beware of Hyoutei, though. One of them beat Yuuta in just 15 minutes," Kaneda warned.

"What was his name?" Fuji asked. "Akutagawa Jirou," Yuuta answered after he gulped down the (delicious) strawberry cake he was eating.

"Ne, who made this? They're very delicious," Atsushi said as he pointed at all the food. "Sakura," the Seigaku regulars said as they pointed to the mentioned girl.

"You're a wonderful cook, Sakura-chan," Mizuki complimented as he smiled. "No, I'm not that great. I'm just average," Sakura said before taking a bite of her pickled plum.

"Well, good luck at the Kantou Regional Tournaments," Akazawa said as he finished his meal. "Ah, we should probably go back home now," Oishi said. "Yuuta and I will be going now," Fuji smiled as he and Yuuta stood up.

"Bye, Fujiko! I'm staying for a while to help clean up, nya!" Eiji said as he waved at his friend. Fuji waved back as he and Yuuta went away.

"Akazawa-buchou and I have to go somewhere. Good bye, then! Sorry if we couldn't help you clean up!" Kaneda yelled as he caught up to the St Rudolph captain.

"It's okay!" Oishi yelled as he threw the unneeded plastic and cans. "Well, I have to go back to the dorms now. Kisarazu-kun, Yanagisawa-kun, Nomura-kun, let's go," Mizuki said after he slung his bag over his shoulder.

"Bye, dane!" Yanagisawa said, after he helped clean up. "Good luck!" Atsushi and Nomura said after they helped with the bento boxes.

"Bye! Thank you for practicing with us!" Sakura said as she folded the picnic blanket. 'The Kantou Regional Tournaments, huh?' she thought.

-With the Fuji siblings-

"Ne, Aniki. Does Sakura like someone right now?" Yuuta asked as he looked down. "No, Sakura-chan is actually innocent and oblivious about romance and love," Fuji answered truthfully.

"Really?" Yuuta asked, shocked by the information given. Fuji only nodded in reply then asked, "Why do you want to know?"

"Nothing. Just curious," Yuuta answered with a slight blush adorning his cheeks. "Yuuta, you've fallen for her, haven't you?" Fuji asked as he opened his eyelids, revealing his sharp blue eyes.

"So, what if I have?" Yuuta challenged. "Yuuta, I love you and you're my brother. But if you want to fight for Sakura, I won't hesitate," Fuji said as he turned to face his younger Fuji.

Yuuta just glared at his brother, not caring about his brother's words.

And that's how the loving brothers turned to love rivals.

-With Akazawa and Kaneda-

"Ne, buchou, do you think Sakura-chan's cute?" Kaneda asked, out of the blue. Akazawa only nodded. "Do you have a crush on her?" Kaneda continued asking.

Akazawa was hesitant but nodded nonetheless. Kaneda sighed and turned to his captain. "I respect you, Akazawa-buchou, but I'm not giving up Sakura-chan!" Kaneda then said.

Akazawa was shocked, to say the least. Then he smirked, "Your challenge is accepted, Kaneda."

-With Mizuki, Nomura, Atsushi and Yanagisawa-

"Wha-? You can't have Sakura, dane!" Yanagisawa yelled as he pointed at Mizuki, who was chuckling. "And why not?" Mizuki asked, "I have fallen for that girl, Yanagisawa-kun and I'm determined to have her."

"Both of you won't get her! She's mine!" Nomura argued. Then, an argument between the three started.

"Like hell she'd want to be with you three. I'm confident she'd choose me over you three any time," Atsushi said as he walked away.

"Come back here, Atsushi!" Yanagisawa yelled as he chased after his doubles partner. Mizuki and Nomura were left behind to have a fierce glare battle.

"I hate you," Nomura said. "The feeling is mutual," Mizuki replied.

-With Sakura and the rest of the regulars-

Sakura sneezed abruptly. "Sakura-chan! Are you okay? Do you have a cold?" Oishi asked, as he turned to his Mother hen mode. "Erm, I'm fine, Oishi-senpai. Nothing big, someone must be talking about me," Sakura said.

"If you say so…" Oishi trailed off. "I'm fine, I'm fine! You don't have to worry about me!" Sakura assured him as she smiled. Oishi only nodded as he, Eiji, Inui, Kaidoh, Momo and Tezuka went separate ways.

Sakura and Ryoma took a different road towards their houses. 'The Kantou Regional Tournaments are coming…' Sakura thought.

-x-

**Hello. Sorry for the long author's note but it was important. If you skipped it, _Read _**it! My exams aren't over yet. I posted this quickly because I don't want to forget about this chapter and the improtant author's note. Enjoy. ****

**-MeSweet735. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey! Yeah, the next chapter... Hooray? Maybe. Anyways, this is a very crappy chapter; well, in my opinion. I don't know yours, but please don't be mean to me. I'll be absent for a week or so, since tomorrow I'll be on a family holiday. Can't wait at all! So, enjoy this chapter while I go and hit my head against the walls of my room for giving you such a crappy chapter. Bye.**

_A Crazy Day with Yamabuki_

"Sakura, come out!" Ryoma yelled. "No!" a muffled answer was heard from behind a bush. "We're not going to laugh at you!" Momo convinced.

"No!" was still the answer from the shaking bush. "Sakura, please come out, now," Tezuka said. The bush hesitated but then said, "No!"

"Yosh! Momo-chin, O-Chibi, nya! Let's pull her out!" Eiji said in confidence. The addressed kouhais only nodded and the three went behind the bush to pull out their darling little Sakura. "Let go! Tezuka-buchou, help me!" Sakura yelled as Momo, Ryoma and Eiji pulled her out.

"Don't pull her out roughly!" Oishi said, worried for their young female rookie. Momo, Eiji and Ryoma managed to get the struggling pink haired girl out from behind the bush.

"You look so cute, Sakura-chan," Fuji said as he smiled.

Sakura twitched as she clutched the white clothing she was forced to wear. She adorned a white dress with a v-neck that stopped on her collarbone; a beige sweater that stopped above her waist, a brown belt was buckled around her waist; on top of the white dress, the dress was ruffled cutely at the end. She also wore black leggings underneath, but they were long, so the excess fabric pooled at her ankles. She also wore beige and white flats with black ribbons on it. A choker was tied around her neck, with a black spade symbol pendant on it.

"I don't look cute! You know that I hate it when people call me cute!" Sakura pouted. Fuji just ruffled her hair and placed a spade symbol clip on her hair. "There," he smiled.

Sakura sighed as she touched the clip for a moment. The Seigaku regulars were out shopping with each other; each regular has something to buy.

"Maybe we should head to the bookstore first, and opposite from it is the arcade. The ones that want to buy books will go to the bookstores, while the others wait at the arcade for a moment. Then, we'll head to the camera shop; Inui, Fuji, both of you want to buy cameras, right?" Oishi asked and earned a nod from both addressed boys.

"Alright, then we'll head to the grocery store; Momo, Eiji, Kaidoh, Taka-san and Sakura need to buy groceries. There's a bakery beside it, so I am heading there. There's also a pet shop nearby; Tezuka and Echizen are heading there. There's a plant nursery nearby too; Fuji, if I recall, you said you wanted to buy some cacti, right?" Oishi asked and earned a nod from the smiling tensai, "Okay. Then, we'll head to the burger joint and have lunch there. Is everybody clear?"

The others nodded and Oishi folded the hand-made map. "Let's go then!" Oishi said as they all headed to their first destination; the bookstore. On the way, they saw a familiar figure- or familiar figures.

"Ah! Akutsu!" Kawamura said when he spotted Akutsu Jin amongst the Yamabuki regulars. Akutsu, when hearing the voice of his friend, turned to see the Seigaku regulars. He arched an eyebrow at them after nodding to Kawamura as a 'hello'.

"Ne, Akutsu, what's wrong?" a cheery voice was heard. They all turned to see Sengoku Kiyosumi, grinning at them. "Ah! Seigaku! Good to see you guys again!" Sengoku said with a grin.

"Ah, Sengoku-san!" Momo said, waving a bit to the orange haired Yamabuki third year. "Hm, never thought we'd see you guys here," Minami Kentarou said as he and his doubles partner, Higashikata Masami walked towards them.

Behind them, Nitobe Inakichi, Kita Ichiuma, Muramochi Touji and Dan Taiichi nodded at the Seigaku regulars. "Ara? Uwaah! Who's this cutie?" Sengoku said as he held Sakura's hands.

"Ano, I'm Haruno Sakura. Please to meet you, senpai," Sakura smiled as he bowed her head a bit. "Are you the rumored Seigaku's first and only female regular?" Muramochi asked and in return, he earned a nod from the pink haired girl.

Sengoku whistled in amazement, "Nice catch, you guys! Lucky~! I get to meet Sakura-chan!" Sengoku grinned at the girl in front of him. "I still don't know who you are though, senpai," Sakura said timidly.

"Sengoku Kiyosumi, third year in Yamabuki!" Sengoku winked. "Minami Kentarou, third year and also buchou of the Yamabuki Tennis team. Please to meet you," Minami smiled. "I'm Higashikata Masami, third year and the fukubuchou of the team," Higashikata said as he bowed his head.

"Nitobe Inakichi," Nitobe said and was continued by his doubles partner, "and I'm Kita Ichiuma. We're doubles partner." "I'm Muramochi Touji, second year. Please to meet you," Muramochi smiled. Sakura smiled back at him.

"Ano, I'm Dan Taiichi, desu. I'm a first year, desu! And this is…" Dan said shyly but was cut off by Sakura when he tried to introduce Akutsu. "Akutsu Jin, third year. You went against Ryoma-kun once," Sakura said as she averted her eyes to the tall middle school student.

"How did you know about me?" Akutsu questioned, eyes flashing in mild amusement and mild irritation. "You injured Ryo-chan. I don't like it when someone hurts Ryo-chan," Sakura glared back when Akutsu glared at her.

After a minute of a glaring match between Akutsu and Sakura, Akutsu smirked, "You're amusing, brat number 2." Sakura smiled, "You too, Akutsu-senpai. It's a pleasure to meet you." Sakura held out her hand so that she can shake hands with Akutsu.

Akutsu gripped her hand, give it a small shake and released the smaller hand. The others' jaws dropped, with the exception of Inui, Kaidoh, Tezuka, Fuji and Ryoma. Did Akutsu just shake hands with a girl and talked to her? And he was even nice to her? Impossible!

"You're pretty cute… for a brat, that is," Akutsu smirked when he saw Sakura pout. "I am not cute! I hate it when someone says I'm cute," Sakura pouted even more, oblivious to the blushing faces of her male companions.

"So, where are you guys heading?" Minami asked. "The bookstore," the Seigaku regulars all said at once, with the exception of Kaidoh, Inui, Tezuka and Ryoma.

"Coincidence, coincidence," Sengoku sang out. "Ah, you're heading there as well?" Oishi asked. He received nods from the rest of them.

"Then we should head there together," Fuji smiled. They all started walking towards the bookstore, striking a conversation between each other. Sakura and Akutsu were talking; about Akutsu accepting Banji's offer to go overseas. Ryoma stayed close with Sakura as he watched Kawamura joining Sakura's and Akutsu's conversation.

Dan then had a conversation with both Sakura and Ryoma, while Akutsu was talking with Kawamura. Oishi and Eiji were talking with Minami and Higashikata while Tezuka, Fuji, Inui and Kaidoh remained silent. Muramochi and Sengoku conversed with Momo while Kita and Nitobe were conversing with each other.

Then, they reached the bookstore. Tezuka, Oishi, Fuji, Inui, Kaidoh, Sakura, Minami, Higashikata, Dan and Muramochi were the ones that needed to go to the bookstore. "You all should wait at the arcade. We'll be in here for a while," Minami said as he and Higashikata already step inside the bookstore. Tezuka, Fuji, Inui, Oishi and Muramochi were already inside. Sakura and Dan waited until the others entered the arcade and then entered the bookstore.

Ryoma looked back at Sakura's figure that was entering the bookstore, before entering the arcade with Momo.

"Yo! Echizen, how about we play this thing for a while," Momo suggested as he pointed to the basketball machine. Ryoma smirked, "Sure, why not."

Momo and Ryoma teamed up while Eiji teamed up with Sengoku. "You're going down, nya!" Eiji said triumphantly. Momo just stuck his tongue out playfully.

Kita and Nitobe kept scores while Akutsu tried out some games that involved violence. Kawamura tried the claw machine filled with cat soft toys.

-Bookstore-

Muramochi was checking out some books about tennis. He then spotted a tennis magazine. He flipped to a certain page and saw an article about professional tennis players from all over the world.

"Would you like to be like them one day?" a soft voice said behind him. Muramochi turned to see Sakura holding a book about Japanese Literatures.

"What do you need a Japanese Literature book for? Surely your Japanese isn't bad," Muramochi said as he set down the magazine he was holding. "Actually, it's for Ryo-chan. His Japanese is a bit down, but oddly, he can speak the language very well," Sakura answered as she neared the taller male.

"'Ryo-chan'? Do you mean Echizen Ryoma?" Muramochi asked, and earned a nod from the pink haired girl. "Both Ryo-chan and I were born in America and the only Japanese we know is through conversations with our parents. But for me, my Japanese isn't bad at all. Ryoma, well, his Japanese Literature is kind of…" Sakura trailed off, not knowing how to continue.

Muromachi chuckled as he turned back to the magazine. "So, how's your studies?" he asked the girl. "'Straight A+ student since preschool' is what Ryo-chan would describe me and my studies," Sakura smiled as she took the magazine out from Muramochi's hand.

"Huh, so you're that smart?" Muramochi chuckled once more. "I'm not that smart, senpai," Sakura blushed as she flipped the object she held. "Actually, Sakura has an IQ about 200 or more," Fuji said as he came up to the two.

"That high? Nice. You must think middle school questions are child's play, huh?" Muromachi asked as he turned to Sakura. "You could say that," Sakura grinned.

"Fuji, I need your help with something," Inui's voice said. "Hai, I'm coming. Well, I'll leave you two for a while," Fuji smiled and went away. "I notice you respect Sengoku-senpai," Sakura said, after she placed the magazine back on its shelf.

"You could say that," Muramochi copied Sakura's words from earlier. Sakura only chuckled as she picked up another magazine. "When I noticed you reading that article about the tennis pros, I wonder, do you want to be like them?" Sakura asked as she placed back the magazine.

Muramochi only nodded slightly, as he also scanned through the various types of magazines that were displayed. "You should train harder then. It's not wrong at all. If you get stronger, maybe there's a chance that you'll be as amazing as they are," Sakura smiled at the elder boy.

Muramochi blushed and smiled a bit. "Ah! Muramochi-senpai! I found you! Have you seen Minami-buchou and Higashikata-fukubuchou?" Dan asked as he walked up to the two. Muramochi shook his head while Sakura tilted her head to the side.

"I think I just saw them. They were at the studies section, if I recall," Sakura said. "Ah! Really? Where is the studies section? Can you show me the way?" Dan asked enthusiastically. Sakura giggled, "Okay, okay. I'll show you. Come, follow me."

Both Dan and Sakura walked away, not before bidding Muramochi a goodbye. Muramochi pouted when the two were out of sight. "Damn! Why did Dan have to come when Sakura and I were just about to get to know each other," he mumbled.

-Arcade-

"Nya! I can't believe we lost to them, nya!" Eiji cried as Momo and Sengoku tried to cheer him up. Ryoma pulled down his cap a bit, while saying, "Mada mada dane."

Akutsu snickered at the sight he was seeing while Kawamura sweat dropped as he held the large kitty soft toy he won. Nitobe and Kita were prancing and acting silly, as an attempt to make Eiji laugh. Unfortunately, it didn't work.

"Well, I'd like to hang here for a while, but I'm going to go to Sakura," Ryoma said as he turned towards the exit. "Oi, brat! Wait for me!" Akutsu yelled out loudly as he walked towards the smaller male.

Kawamura, Kita and Nitobe followed the two. Sengoku and Momo still tried to cheer up the sulking Eiji. After they succeeded, they all followed the others to the bookstore.

-Bookstore-

Dan and Sakura finally spotted Minami and Higashikata. "Ah, Dan! Hello. Oh, hi Sakura-chan!" Minami greeted both the first years. Dan nodded at him while Sakura bowed her head. "Senpai, have you seen a book about tennis?" Dan asked.

Minami and Higashikata looked thoughtful for a moment. "Ah, I saw one at the sports section. You better hurry, there's only one book left," Higashikata said.

"Uwah? Really? Sakura-chan! We need to hurry! Let's go!" Dan said as he ran towards his destination. "Ah, thank you, senpai-tachi. Bye!" Sakura smiled and waved at the two Yamabuki third years, as she followed Dan.

Minami and Higashikata blushed a bit when they saw the smile. They turned back to their previous activities; neither of them uttered a word.

-With the other party-

Nitobe and Kita sighed as both of them scanned the rather large bookstore. And since the shelves were tall, they could barely spot anyone. Kawamura and Ryoma had already ventured in to the quiet store. Akutsu stayed outside instead, with the quote: "I shouldn't waste my time in some dumb bookstore."

Eiji and Momo yelled for their companions while Sengoku tried to flirt with some girls. Kita and Nitobe noticed that he was different today. Usually, he would flirt happily but this time, his mind seemed to wander every single second.

'How odd,' the doubles players thought.

-Sakura and Dan-

"Ah! There it is!" Dan said happily as he pointed to the lone tennis book. Sakura smiled at Dan's cuteness as she watched the boy grabbed the book happily and showed her the said book.

"Isn't it amazing, Sakura-chan? And I got the last one too!" Dan said as he hopped a bit. Sakura giggled at his childishness before nodding in agreement. "Wait 'till Akutsu-senpai sees this!" Dan said as he walked while his head facing backwards.

He didn't notice two people were in front of him until it was too late. He bumped into a broad chest and fell down on his bottom. Sakura immediately helped him up and sent a curious glance at the other person.

The person that Dan accidentally bumped into was a male high school student with black hair. A scowl made its way on his face as he glared at Dan, whom was bowing and apologizing over and over.

"'Sorry'? Is that all you can say when you bumped into me, punk?" the angered elder sneered as he held Dan by his collar. He then spotted the book Dan held earlier. He dropped Dan and bent down to pick up the book.

"Heh, I've been looking for this book," the boy said. "A-Ano, that's my book. I got it first," Dan said nervously. "Ah? Yours? You hear that? This little pipsqueak said this book is his," the boy said to his blonde friend. His friend just snickered.

"Listen hear, brat! If I see something, it's mine, got it?" the boy growled at Dan. Then, in a second, Sakura kept a firm and painful grip on the black haired boy's hand that was holding Dan's book. "Release the book. Dan-kun saw it first, so it's his. If you don't…" Sakura trailed off as her hand gripped the other hand more painfully.

The black haired boy grunted and pulled his hand away. At the same time, he dropped the book and Dan had quickly grabbed it. "You little-" the blonde boy tried to say before a kick stopped itself beside his head.

"Leave now, or I'll continue my attack," Sakura said as her leg was still suspended in the air. "What's going on here?" a gruff voice said. They all turned to see Akutsu behind the two high school boys, with a scowl on his face.

"Akutsu-senpai!" Dan yelled out happily. Sakura lowered her leg, knowing Akutsu would scare the boys away. "Akutsu-senpai, these boys were disturbing us. He even tried to hurt Dan," Sakura said with a smile.

Akutsu turned to the high school boys, whom were the same height, or maybe a couple of inches shorter than Akutsu. His scowl was enough to make the two high school boys run for their lives. Sakura and Dan giggled as they thanked Akutsu.

"Sakura!" Ryoma's voice was heard. "Ryo-chan! Look what I found!" Sakura said as she turned to Ryoma, while showing Ryoma the Japanese Literature book she had found.

Ryoma just nodded at her and turned, saying, "Come on. Let's pay for the book and get out of here." Sakura just smiled and walked besides Ryoma to the counter. "Ah! Sakura-chan, wait! Echizen-kun!" Dan said as he caught up to the other two.

Akutsu immediately escaped the bookstore after he made sure Dan was with both Sakura and Ryoma. "Those brats better look out for one another," he mumbled.

-Dan, Ryoma and Sakura. Location: Counter-

Dan kept looking Sakura in amazement. 'Sakura-chan was so cool earlier,' he thought as he hugged the book he was holding. "Ano, Sakura-chan. Thank you for helping me earlier!" Dan said as he smiled.

"Normally, I'm against violence so I just threatened the boy. Nothing much, really. But you're welcome," Sakura smiled back. Dan just nodded happily. They purchased their books, and went outside to see everyone waiting for them.

"Done? Well then, our next stop is… the camera shop," Oishi said as he scanned the list and hand-made map. "Fuji and I are heading there," Inui said. "Ah, I have to buy a camera as well," Higashikata said. "I'll help you," Minami said to his doubles partner. He then turned to the rest, "Anyone else wants to join us?"

In the end, Inui, Fuji, Minami, Higashikata, Muramochi and Dan were the only ones heading to the Camera shop. "Ano… Sakura-chan, here you go," Kawamura said as he handed the cat stuffed toy he won at the arcade.

The cat was white with wide blue eyes and was wearing a purple kimono. "Kawaii! I love it, Kawamura-senpai! Thank you!" Sakura smiled at the blushing senpai.

Sengoku was trying to flirt with some girls, but his eyes secretly traveled to a certain pink haired girl. Kita and Nitobe noticed this and snickered a bit. "Sengoku~! We know your secret~!" the both of them sang as they neared Sengoku whom had failed at flirting the girls earlier.

"Ah? What secret?" Sengoku laughed nervously. "You have a crush on Sakura-chan, right?" they teased. "W-What are you talking about?" Sengoku asked nervously, his eyes swimming. "Don't lie to us, Sengoku," Kita said as he eyed the happy-go-lucky boy. "Yes, don't lie," Nitobe agreed.

"I don't know what you two are talking about!" Sengoku said as he turned away. Nitobe and Kita only grin as they walked away from the orange haired third year. When they were gone, Sengoku sneakily glance at Sakura, blushing slightly.

"There's a music shop nearby! Ryo-chan, let's go there!" Sakura said as she pointed to a purple music shop. Ryoma only shrugged and followed the pink haired girl towards the music shop. "Ah! O-chibi, Saku-chan! Wait for us, nya!" Eiji said as he and the others followed the two.

Once they entered the shop, Eiji, Momo, Kaidoh and Sengoku headed to the Rock sections. Akutsu chose to wait outside. Tezuka, Oishi and Kawamura headed to the Classical sections, Kita and Nitobe just wodered around the store. Sakura and Ryoma headed to J-Pop sections.

-Sakura and Ryoma-

"Uwah! There's so many choices here," Sakura said as she browsed through the selections of music. One title caught her eye, as she grabbed the CD. "This will do," Sakura smiled as she walked towards her best friend whom was browsing through the CDs with a yawn.

"I already grab what I want," Sakura said as she showed Ryoma her choice. Ryoma arched an eyebrow at her choosing and chuckled. "Whatever, let's go find buchou and the others," he said as he turned away. The both of them began to walk as Sakura looked down at her CD.

-Tezuka, Oishi and Kawamura-

Tezuka browsed through the CDs, trying to find the ones that perked up his interests. Oishi and Kawamura were testing their CDs. He sighed inwardly when none had caught his interest as he fixed the position of his glasses.

"How about this one?" a familiar voice said behind him as he turned around. He saw Sakura smiling at him as she offered a CD to him. He grabbed the item and read the title of the casing. He arched his eyebrow slightly when he figured out that the item he was holding was the one he was trying to search, for a very long time.

"Thank you," Tezuka said as he nodded at the girl. Sakura only smiled and waved at Oishi and Kawamura, both of them weren't very far from her. "Unyaa! Saku-chan! Tezuka! We found you guys, nya! Fujiko-chan called; he said that the others are waiting outside, nya!" Eiji said as he neared Sakura and Tezuka.

"Is that so? Then we should hurry," Oishi said, as he and Kawamura neared the group. "Yosh! Echizen, let's go!" Momo said as he grabbed Ryoma in a headlock. "That hurts, Momo-senpai," Ryoma said.

The group exited the shop as they saw the others waiting for them. "Ah, did you have fun?" Fuji asked. "Sa, we did. How about you?" Oishi asked as he eyed the bags that Fuji and his group were holding. "We had fun as well," Muramochi smiled.

"Hmm, our next stop is the grocery store right? Ryo-chan and Tezuka-buchou are heading to the pet shop at the same time. Fuji-senpai is heading to the plant nursery, while Oishi-senpai needs to go to the bakery," Sakura said as she tilted her head to the side.

"Ah, Minami and I are heading to the bakery as well. Dan and Muramochi need to go to the grocery store as well, if I recall," Higashikata said. "Ah, that's right! I'm heading to the grocery store as well. If I'm lucky, I'll get to meet some pretty girls there! Lucky~!" Sengoku grinned.

"What about Sakura-chan?" Kita and Nitobe whispered to the red head. Sengoku cheeks turned slightly red and he coughed, "Ah? What was that? Sorry, Kita, Nitobe, I didn't hear you."

Kita and Nitobe smirked as they skipped away, following Fuji to the plant nursery. Inui had opted following Tezuka and Ryoma to the pet shop. Akutsu chose to go to the grocery with Dan and the others. Oishi, Minami and Higashikata headed towards the Bakery nearby.

-Location: Grocery shop-

Sakura and Kawamura headed to the Fish, Chicken and Meat section of the store. Kawamura had requested some fresh fishes, while Sakura was waiting for her fishes to be cut and weighed. "Ano, can you remove the fins and scales? Oh, I need three of these, please," Sakura said as she pointed to some meat nearby.

The butcher gave a hearty laugh, and said, "Of course, little missy. Anything for you." Then he spotted Kawamura picking out some fishes. "Ano, boy, do you need those fishes to be cut?" the butcher asked.

"Ah, it's fine. My dad owns a Sushi restaurant, so we can do it by ourselves. I don't want to trouble you at all, butcher-san," Kawamura smiled as he gave the bag of fishes to the butcher. The butcher weighed the fishes and slap on a piece of sticker on the bag before handing it back to Kawamura.

He then started to work on the meat Sakura had requested. "Are you here together?" the butcher asked both Sakura and Kawamura. "Yes!" Sakura smiled. "Friends?" the butcher questioned. "Yes, and we're also teammates," Kawamura said as he picked out some eels.

"Ho, you guys must be pretty close," the butcher grinned. Sakura only smiled while Kawamura blushed slightly. The butcher chuckled as he slapped on a sticker onto Sakura's bag of meat and Kawamura's bag of eels.

"Ah, thank you, butcher-san!" Sakura bowed her head as she accepted her bag of meat and fishes. Kawamura smiled at the butcher as he took his bags. "I need to go to the Fruits and Vegetables section. Want to come, Kawamura-senpai?" Sakura questioned. Kawamura only nodded as he followed the younger girl.

"Ah, he's in love with her. Too bad she doesn't know," the butcher chuckled as he watched the two went away.

-Kaidoh, Momo, Eiji, Dan, Akutsu, Muramochi and Sengoku-

Kaidoh hissed in frustration. Momo was being an idiot and was currently playing rock-paper-scissors with Eiji. Sengoku was flirting with girls nearby and Muramochi was trying to stop him. Akutsu was following Dan, half-listening to Dan's speech about the joy of playing tennis.

Kaidoh noted; Muramochi, Dan and Akutsu were the only ones acting sane if you didn't count Akutsu's glare at every single person he saw and Dan's hyperactive speeches.

The snake-like second year grabbed some bread and peanut butter spread. He then threw a bag of bagels at Momo whom was arguing with Eiji and Sengoku grinned sheepishly as the Yamabuki third year tried to calm down the two Seigaku players. Muramochi sighed at the sight.

"Ow! What the hell was that for, Mamushi?" Momo yelled out loudly, pointing a finger to his attacker. Eiji and Sengoku laughed at the fact Momo got hit by a bag of bagels, while Muramochi only chuckled softly. "Fsshhhuuu… Shut up, peach-butt," Kaiodh hissed as he turned away from his fellow teammate.

Then, a bag of pretzels- yes, _pretzels_- hit Kaidoh on the back of his head. Kaidoh grunted as an anime tick mark appeared on his forehead. Momo was laughing loudly in the background as Eiji panicked, Muramochi and Sengoku sweat dropped.

Kaidoh turned and hit Momo right in the face with the bag of pretzels that had hit him earlier. Momo fell back down on his back while Senogku laughed loudly and Eiji sweat dropped at the sight of Momo twitching angrily. Muramochi gulped inaudibly, 'Things are going to get messy.'

And that's how a food fight between Kaidoh and Momo had started. Akutsu and Dan turned when they heard Sengoku laughed out loud. Akutsu snickered at the sight of Kaidoh and Momo throwing bags of food at each other while Dan panicked. Muramochi and Sengoku, along with Eiji tried to stop the two.

"Yo! Didn't expect to see everyone here," Sakura smiled as she neared the boys. Kawamura was behind the girl and waved a bit at the others. Kaidoh and Momo stopped their fighting as the two second years along with the others turned to see Sakura and Kawamura.

"Ah, found it!" Sakura said as she grabbed a loaf of bread from a shelf nearby. Then, she turned to the boys –namely Momo and Kaidoh- and arched an eyebrow, "Really? A food fight? Senpai, I really expected you'd behave today."

Sakura shook her head in mock disappointment. She then smiled brightly as she walked towards another aisle; the Dairy aisle. "Ma, you know how to handle yourselves if one of the workers caught you," Sakura smiled as she went away.

Kaidoh and Momo sulked in the corner, while Eiji, Kawamura and Sengoku tried to cheer them up. Akutsu snorted at their idiocy while Dan and Muramochi sighed.

-Tezuka, Inui and Ryoma. Location: Pet Shop-

Ryoma was browsing to the various types of cat nip. Tezuka was looking for some fish bait as his grandfather had requested for him to search for the said bait. Inui was exploring the store, looking at the various items and animals.

Ryoma had gotten enough cat nips for Karupin and Tezuka already found the bait he was searching. They both walked to the counter, ready to purchase the items. Inui still wandered around the shop. As Tezuka paid for the baits he bought, he furrowed his eyebrows.

Ryoma noticed this and turned to the Seigaku buchou, "Buchou, is there something wrong?"

Tezuka turned to his kouhai, "No. It's just that I have a feeling that some of our teammates are causing problems."

Ryoma raised an eyebrow and sighed, 'I really hope Sakura's alright.'

"Saa, Echizen, Tezuka," Inui said suddenly as he popped up behind them. Echizen sighed, trying to hide his shock while Tezuka remained stoic.

"What is it, Inui-senpai?" Ryoma asked as he turned to the tall third year. "I've found the perfect ingredient for my new Inui-juice," Inui said as he pulled out something. It was bait; the live worm bait for fishes.

Ryoma's face paled while Tezuka closed his eyes and his hand unnoticeably twitched.

"No way!" Ryoma yelled in anger.

-Fuji, Nitobe and Kita. Location: Plant Nursery-

Kita and Nitobe wandered around the store as Fuji eyed the cacti nearby. "Hmmm… Which one should I buy?" Fuji mused to himself as he looked at the cacti in interest.

"How about the one with the pink flower? It kind of reminds you of Sakura-chan, ne?" Nitobe said as he pointed to the small cactus in the corner. Kita only nodded in agreement.

"Now, that you mention it, it kind of does," Fuji chuckled softly as he grabbed the small cactus. Fuji's eyes opened for a moment, 'It really does reminds me of Sakura-chan. Small and beautiful, but very sharp.'

-Oishi, Minami and Higashikata-

Oishi smelled the delicious aroma of cooked bread. He sighed in delight, as he grabbed a tray and a pair of tongs. Minami and Higashikata were already choosing their choices.

'Those two are really the best of friends. Reminds me of Eiji and I,' Oishi smiled then arched an eyebrow, 'Can Sakura-chan and Echizen's relationship count as a warm, loving best friends?'

Oishi tilted his head to the side, as he placed some egg tarts onto his tray. 'Maybe, I guess,' Oishi thought as he grabbed some Melon bun.

-Grocery store-

"Ah… Where are they?" Sakura asked herself as she searched for the cartons of milk. She had grabbed some butter and cheese while searching for the said milk.

Sengoku followed Sakura in silence, but glanced at Sakura once in a while. He sighed inwardly, 'Why can't I say anything to her? What if Kita and Nitobe are right? I've never been serious about girls before.'

"Sengoku-senpai? Are you okay?" Sakura asked as she neared the orange haired male. Sengoku flinched and backed away from Sakura.

Sakura was shocked and looked down onto the floor in sadness. "Ah, I-I'm okay!" Sengoku assured as he scratched the back of his neck.

Then, Sakura bowed to her waist, "I'm sorry if I did anything that might've hurt you. Please forgive me, Sengoku-senpai."

Sengoku couldn't say anything as he stared at the girl with wide eyes. 'She… she noticed my discomfort… I shouldn't have flinched; I made her feel bad about herself…' Senogku thought. He then grinned, "No, it's nothing at all, Sakura-chan! Don't be said about it; you didn't do anything to upset me! I was just… distracted!"

Sakura rose up from her bow and arched an eyebrow at the older male, "Are you sure?" Sengoku grinned once more and nodded.

Sakura sighed as a sweet smile made its way onto her face. "If you say so, Sengoku-senpai," she sighed playfully. Sengoku chuckled as she watched Sakura turned and spotted something.

"Uwah! The milk! I found them!" Sakura said happily as she jogged towards the items. Sengoku chuckles got louder at the girl's cuteness and smiled, 'Maybe it's not so bad to be serious about girls. Especially if it's Sakura-chan.'

"Lucky~! It's a good thing I met with Sakura-chan!" Sengoku said to himself as he watched the girl walk away to find more items.

-With the others-

Oishi, Minami, Higashikata, Tezuka, Ryoma, Inui, Fuji, Nitobe and Kita were already waiting outside the grocery shop for the others. They soon spotted Kawamura, Momo and Kaidoh. Kawamura was waiting for the cashier to scan his items while Kaidoh and Momo fought over whom was next after Kawamura finished.

Dan, Akutsu and Muramochi were at a different lane. Akutsu waited for Dan and Muramochi. Both Dan and Muramochi decided to purchase their items together, as not to waste any time. "Eh? Sengoku-san and Sakura-chan aren't here," Momo said as his head turned from left to right.

"You're right," Muramochi said as he turned to search for his senpai and friend. "Yo, minna! Sorry we're late!" Sengoku grinned as he and Sakura walked up to the group.

"Hurry up and pay for your damn things already," Akutsu said as he scowled. "Hai, hai. You look so scary when you do that, Akutsu. One day, your face will freeze up like that!" Sengoku teased, earning a growl from the taller male.

Sakura pinched Sengoku's arm playfully as she unloaded her items onto the conveyer belt of the counter. Sengoku made a hurtful gasp as he clutched his shirt where his heart located. "That hurt, Sakura-chan! How could you?" he sighed dramatically.

Sakura just giggled while Sengoku grinned. Then, Minami _had_ to ruin the moment by hitting Sengoku on the head. "Just hurry up, Sengoku," Minami said as he turned away. Momo snickered behind the hand he had clamped over his mouth. Dan was fussing over Sengoku's abused head, Sengoku was dramatically crying, Muramochi tried to calm both of them, Akutsu was laughing out loud while the others sighed.

"These shenanigans have got to stop," Ryoma said as he turned to Sakura whom nodded in agreement.

After purchasing their items, Mom's stomach grumbled loudly. He scratched the back of his head as a weak grin made its way onto his face, "Hehe, I didn't know I was this hungry."

"Fshuuu… You really are an idiot," Kaidoh glared as he walked away. Momo glared back, "What did you say, you stupid Mamushi?"

"Now, you're deaf. Good for you!" Kaidoh hissed in anger. An anime tick mark appeared on Momo's forehead as he yelled at Kaidoh.

"Momoshiro! Kaidoh! If you don't stop, you'll be running 30 laps tomorrow at school!" Tezuka scolded and earned two sulking juniors. "Hai," Momo and Kaidoh chorused weakly. Eiji and Kawamura smiled at the two while Oishi just shook his head.

"Well, we're heading to the Burger joint. Do you want to join us?" Oishi asked the Yamabuki students. The Yamabuki members just shrugged and nodded, following the Seigaku regulars.

"Uwah~! I'm so hungry!" Momo said as he rubbed his stomach absent-mindedly. Eiji was beside the junior, only nodded in agreement. "That's because your mind only revolves around food," Kaidoh hissed softly and earned a glare from Momo.

Before the power player could retort back, Tezuka sent a stoic glare at the two, effectively making both second years close their mouth. Sakura muffled her giggles while Ryoma tilted his head down a bit to hide his smirk. "Mada mada dane," both of them muttered quietly.

Fuji just chuckled softly, and was earned a warning look from Tezuka. "Saa… I did nothing wrong, Tezuka. So stop staring at me like that," Fuji smiled at his friend.

Tezuka sighed inwardly, wondering if his team actually acts like this around other people. Fuji, as if reading Tezuka's thoughts, whispered, "Saa, maybe they actually do."

When all of them reached the burger joint, Momo and Eiji raced towards the counter. Oishi sweat dropped at their behavior while Kaidoh commented how idiotic Momo could get.

After they all purchased their meals, they sat at some empty seats. The burger joint was pretty empty, only a couple of teenagers occupied the place.

Sakura sat down between Ryoma and Fuji, with Tezuka on Fuji's right and Inui on Ryoma's left. Oishi, Kaidoh, Eiji, Kawamura and Momo sat on the opposite side while the Yamabuki students sat in a table right next to theirs.

Momo had ordered more than five burgers while Eiji bought two. Oishi commented about unhealthy meals and scolded Momo to stop eating so fast. Ryoma yawned as he played with his fries while watching Sakura eat her burger.

The boys seemed to notice that ketchup smeared the girl's cheeks as she munched her burger. "What?" Sakura questioned when she noticed the boys staring at her. Ryoma grabbed a nearby napkin and wipe his friend's cheeks similar to that of a mother would do to her child.

"There. You're way too messy," Ryoma smirked as he crumpled the napkin and absent-mindedly threw it onto his empty tray. Sakura pouted but continued to munch on her burger, none the less. Fuji chuckled while Tezuka hid his smirk by sipping his drink.

Inui was happily scrubbling more data into his notebook while muttering, "Ii data…" Oishi and Kawamura only smiled while Momo and Eiji grinned. Kaidoh hissed as to hide his slightly pink cheeks.

On the other table, the Yamabuki regulars were discussing something. Sengoku grinned as he sneakily crumpled his burger wrapper and threw it to the Seigaku table. The crumpled paper hit Momo's head and effectively making an anime tick mark appear on the powerhouse player's head.

"Who the hell threw that?" Momo asked as he slammed his fist on the table. Unfortunately, he accidentally slammed his tray as well, and resulted in his carbonated drink flew and hit Kaidoh on the head.

Kaidoh hissed as an anime tick mark, similar to Momo's appeared on his soaked head. Momo gulped and Sengoku snickered. "Fshuu… Momoshiro, you baka! I'll kill you!" Kaidoh growled as he threw his drink to Momo. Momo hid behind Eiji and the drink hit the red headed senior by mistake. "Unya! I'll have my revenge!" Eiji yelled as he threw the items he could reach towards random directions. A half eaten burger hit Akutsu on the head and the others gulped in fear.

"You bastards! I'll kill you!" Akutsu yelled as he threw his tray at Eiji, Momo and Kaidoh. Sengoku, who wanted to be in the fun as well, started to throw things and avoid oncoming food. The others had taken refuge under the table.

Sakura and Ryoma sipped their carbonated drink nonchalantly while Fuji and Tezuka conversed normally. Oishi was worrying over his teammates' safety while Kawamura tried to calm him down. Unfortunately for Kawamura, Inui only made Oishi's worries even worse.

Manami sighed as Higashikata tried to calm his doubles partner. Dan was similar to Oishi and Muramochi calmed him down. Kita and Nitobe played cards under the table, not caring about the whole scene.

And that's how our beloved Eiji, Momo, Kaidoh and Sengoku got thrown out. Akutsu was so scary, the manager let him stay.

On the way back towards their homes, they all bid each other a good-bye since most of them are going to different directions.

-Yamabuki regulars-

"Sengoku," Minami called out and waited until the addressed teammate turned to him, "You seem happy today. You're happier than usual."

"Well, I met this wonderful person," Sengoku grinned. "Sengoku has a crush on Sakura-chan!" Kita and Nitobe sang out, making Sengoku chocked on his saliva. "W-What are you saying? You must be joking," Sengoku laughed nervously.

Muramochi sighed inwardly, 'I hope that isn't true. I'm in love with Sakura-chan, and yet I respect Sengoku-san. Ah, it doesn't matter! I'll still win Sakura-chan's heart!'

Minami only smirked on the outside, but on the inside he was thinking of ways to kill Sengoku if the happy-go-lucky player doesn't stay away from his little Sakura-chan. Higashikata had the same thoughts as well.

Akutsu scoffed while Dan pouted. "Yosh, I won't lose to Sengoku-senpai!" Dan said as his eyes fired in determination. Akutsu was secretly having the same thoughts as Minami's and Higashikata's.

-With the Seigaku regulars-

Sakura sneezed abruptly and earned worried looks from her senpais. "Saura-chan? Are you okay? Do you have a fever?" Oishi asked as he turned to mother hen mode.

Sakura smiled and shook her head, "I'm fine, Oishi-senpai. Someone must be talking about me!"

Oishi sighed in relief and patted Sakura's head. "Good to know," he said with a kind smile. Sakura smiled back and they continued their journey towards home.

-Tennis no Ojou-sama: Haruno Sakura-

**Uwaah! Don't hit me! (Hides) Anyways, I'll be posting the next chapter after my holiday. So, please wait. Besides, Kirihara Akaya-chan is on the next chapter! (Refer to ep 49 of POT). Bye, dear readers! Reviews please!**


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